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This Week in Washington
Pruitt Resigns Following More Than a Dozen Investigations
President Trump announced yesterday via Twitter that Scott Pruitt had resigned while stating he did an "outstanding job" as the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency.
Various news outlets shortly thereafter posted the resignation letter which made no mention of the ethical scandals that he faced. Instead, the former EPA Administrator
explained that "the unrelenting attacks on me personally, my family, are unprecedented and have taken a sizable toll on all
of us."
Pruitt's resignation came at a time when he was facing "more than a dozen
federal and congressional investigations" including "outsized security
spending, first-class flights, . . . . routinely order[ing] his EPA staff to do
personal chores for him . . . . [, and] leas[ing] a Capitol Hill condo last year for
just $50 a night" from "the wife of a veteran fossil fuels lobbyist," according to
multiple Congressional hearings.
Pruitt served as Administrator of the EPA from February 17th, 2017 until July
6th, 2018, the second shortest tenure of anyone holding that position. During these 504 days, he built upon his "reputation as a dogged deregulator. . . . [,]
took steps to reverse more than a dozen major Obama-era regulations[,] and overhauled key elements of the agency's approach to scientific research," The Washington Post reported.
The agency's deputy administrator, Andrew Wheeler, is expected to follow a similar deregulatory, pro-industry pattern as acting EPA Administrator. Prior
to his current position at the EPA, he lobbied on behalf of energy, coal, and
mining companies for more than ten years.
Proposed Changes to the Endangered Species Act Would Expand States' Influence
Prior to leaving for their Independence Day Recess
last week, Republican Senators had been working on
an expansion of sta
tes' influence in the endangered species' recovery process,
The Hill
reported.
"Draft legislation [is] due to be released Monday by [the] Environment and
Public Works Committee
Chairman John Barrasso (R-WY)."
Republican Senators like Barrasso emphasize that,
since its passage in 1973,
the Endangered Species
Act
has only helped less than fifty plants and animals come off of the list, out
of more than fifteen hundred endangered species.
GOP members in the Senate also claim that they are "tak[ing] advantage of the experience of state regulators." This can be seen in their intention to allow
states to conduct their own conservation efforts prior to officially declaring another species "endangered." On the other hand, people like Defenders of Wildlife's Senior Vice President of Conservation Bob Dreher disagree,
believing
"[m]ost states . . . lack adequate authority to conserve endangered species."
Furthermore, while conservationists oppose the GOP's proposed change for favoring land owners' interests, both groups agree the act could be much more effective than it has been.
USDA Received Thousands of Comments on GMO Labeling
This Tuesday was the deadline for farmers' organizations, food corporations,
and consumers to submit their perspectives, suggestions, and concerns about
the potential requirement that genetically modified food be labeled as"GM"
for "genetically modified," "GMO" for "genetically modified organism," or "BE"
for "bioengineered."
The U.S. Department of Agriculture received at least 11,000 food labeling comments within a 60-day time frame, according to Politico.
The USDA issued a press release on May 3rd, "invit[ing] public comment on
the proposed rule to establish the National Bioengineered Food Disclosure Standard mandated by Congress in [July] 2016." That day, the department
also explained that "[t]he standard will provide a uniform way to offer
meaningful disclosure for consumers who want more information about their
food and avoid a patchwork system of state or private labels that could be confusing for consumers and would likely drive up food costs."
While the July 3rd deadline was intended to ensure the USDA developed a
rule by the end of July, as the act requires, Politico reporters believe that this is "unlikely" to occur.
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