Trump’s EPA nominee Scott Pruitt is a threat to Hawaii

Honolulu Star-Advertiser |  January 24, 2017  |  Marti Townsend It may be painful, maybe even repulsive, but it is nonetheless essential that all of Hawaii’s people stay engaged in policymaking at the federal level. The agenda of the incoming administration flies in the face of our values, especially on safeguarding the water we drink, the air we breathe, and the land we love so much.While a state attorney general, he was caught signing letters penned by Big Oil lobbyists demanding the White House weaken environmental laws. He also zeroed out Oklahoma’s budget for protecting the environment and stopped enforcing environmental safeguards meant to keep Oklahoma communities healthy.Pruitt’s long history of standing with polluters instead of with the people is a clear sign he does not respect the EPA’s mission and gives us a good idea of what he plans to do with this important agency if the U.S. Senate confirms his nomination.The EPA is too important to the safety of Hawaii’s public health, and moving the nation and the world toward climate action to put in the hands of someone who has consistently demonstrated an interest in dismantling the entire agency. We cannot afford to let Pruitt turn back the clock 50 years on environmental protection.Even here, with our commitment to protecting our resources, we rely on the EPA to provide crucial federal oversight, funding and enforcement for our environment. From sewage spills to excessive pesticide use to water pollution, the EPA defends Hawaii’s environment and its people from harm.For example, a strong EPA is essential to ensuring the cleanup of jet fuel leaked from the Navy’s storage tanks in Red Hill before it permanently degrades Oahu’s primary aquifer. This is the kind of help that every state relies on to defend against polluters.For Hawaii, Pruitt’s climate change denial threatens our basic way of life. Sea level rise is destroying homes, fishing grounds and long-standing cultural practices. Loss of our tradewinds and rains risk the safety of our drinking water, the health of our fisheries, and the viability of diversified agriculture here.Our state leaders long ago recognized that action by all of us is required to avert a climate calamity, and we have since become one of the national leaders on clean energy. We can’t, however, fight climate change alone — we need every state and country to do its part. Pruitt, though, has actively worked to stall the Clean PowerPlan, and is expected to do his part to undermine the Paris Climate Accord.Pruitt’s record also runs counter to Hawaii’s history of equity and inclusion. He leads a dirty-fuel-funded group of state attorneys general suing to undo broad progressive reforms including the Affordable Care Act, immigration reforms and human rights protections. This is a troubling sign for a state as diverse as ours.There is overwhelming evidence that Pruitt would be a disaster for the EPA, and the public’s health. The U.S. Senate must reject his confirmation.