Senate Confirms Trump EPA Chief

The U.S. Senate Friday confirmed the nomination of Oklahoma Attorney General Scott Pruitt to lead the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. On a mostly party-line vote of 52-46, Republicans in the Senate pushed the nomination through, allowing Pruitt to become the next EPA Administrator. The vote followed an overnight rally by Senate Democrats in an effort to delay the vote until next week, after 3,000 some emails between Pruitt and the fossil fuel industry are set to be released. The New York Times says Democrats, environmental groups and even current EPA employees have harshly criticized Pruitt’s record of fighting the mission of the agency he will now lead. Pruitt is welcomed, however, by many agriculture groups because of his opposition to the EPA’s Waters of the U.S. rule and other regulations.