Can Scott Pruitt Save the EPA From Mission Creep?

When asked to comment on President Donald Trump's choice of former Oklahoma attorney general Scott Pruitt to head the Environmental Protection Agency, Obama administration EPA head Gina McCarthy told the New York Times: "It's fine to have differing opinions on how to meet the mission of the agency. Many Republican administrators have had that. But here, for the first time, I see someone who has no commitment to the mission of the agency."Which raises an interesting question. What is the mission of the EPA?The EPA website states that the agency's mission "is to protect human health and the environment." That sounds reasonable, but does it mean EPA has authority to do whatever its administrator and 15,000 employees conclude will protect human health and the environment? Judging by the agency's ever-expanding intrusion into American lives since its creation in 1972, it would seem the answer is yes.  Continue reading...