During an interview on CNBC’s “Squawk Box” program, EPA administrator Scott Pruitt said: “No, I would not agree that it (carbon dioxide) is a primary contributor to global warming.” The statement was at odds with U.S. scientific agencies, who say the planet’s average surface temperature is 2 degrees F higher than in the late 1800s and due largely to increased emissions of carbon dioxide and other human-caused emissions.
Pruitt, who built his reputation as Oklahoma attorney general by repeatedly suing EPA, also said on CNBC that the Paris climate accord, to mitigate the effects of climate change, is “a bad deal.” The New York Times said that President Trump was expected to sign an executive order next week that directs EPA “to begin the legal process of unwinding the climate change regulations on emissions from power plants.”
“In addition to putting him at odds with established scientific consensus, Mr. Pruitt’s remarks also suggest that, as the Trump administration moves forward with unwinding Mr. Obama’s climate change regulations aimed at reining in carbon dioxide pollution, it may not issue replacement regulations, which could put the administration in violation of federal law,” said the Times. That’s because in 2009 the EPA released a legal opinion declaring high levels of carbon dioxide to be an air pollutant that must be regulated to protect human health.