title:  Trump Makes Absolutely IRONIC Pick With HUGE Conflict Of Interest For EPA Head
text: Trump s transition is humming right along now, complete with an ever growing cabinet full of everyone he promised America he was going to get out of government. One of his latest picks is a major supporter of big oil, Scott Pruitt, who s also Oklahoma s current Attorney General. Pruitt is busy suing the EPA.And now he s going to head it.No, really, Trump has tapped Pruitt to head an agency he s suing over Obama s rule to bring down carbon emissions. Sure, 27 other states are part of that lawsuit, but the fact that one of the participants in that suit has been chosen to lead it, well, that s a huge conflict of interest. Pruitt could render the agency toothless.Of course, environmentalists are upset with this decision, and they should be. Rhea Su, who heads the Natural Resources Defense Council, said in a statement: The mission of the EPA and its administrator requires an absolute commitment to safeguard public health and protect our air, land, water and planet. That s the litmus test. By naming Pruitt, President-elect Trump has flunked. Exactly. Trump says he wants clean air and water and that s why he won t get rid of the EPA, but ensuring clean air and water means actually acknowledging science and using that to craft policy. Pruitt however, thinks whether climate change is man-made is still up in the air, and said so in The New York Times: Healthy debate is the lifeblood of American democracy, and global warming has inspired one of the major policy debates of our time.That debate is far from settled. Scientists continue to disagree about the degree and extent of global warming and its connection to the actions of mankind  Dissent is not a crime. No, dissent is not a crime. Yes, healthy debate is a good thing. Refusing to acknowledge that science says the debate is pretty much over is a bad thing. Obviously Pruitt wants his lawsuit to succeed, but now he might be able to drop or gut that rule so they win without having to worry about the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals, where it s currently pending.Pruitt has to be confirmed and Democrats are starting to signal that they can t, in good conscience, confirm Pruitt because of what the EPA s mission is. Can they actually block his appointment, though? It depends on whether they can convince a few Republicans to oppose him, too.Featured image via Spencer Platt/Getty Images