Note: This is the post #24 in a weekly series of explanatory posts on the officials and agencies included in the President’s Cabinet. See the series introduction here.
Cabinet position: EPA Administrator
Department: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
Current Administrator: Scott Pruitt
Department Mission: The mission of EPA is to protect human health and the environment. EPA’s purpose is to ensure that:
- all Americans are protected from significant risks to human health and the environment where they live, learn and work;
- national efforts to reduce environmental risk are based on the best available scientific information;
- federal laws protecting human health and the environment are enforced fairly and effectively;
- environmental protection is an integral consideration in U.S. policies concerning natural resources, human health, economic growth, energy, transportation, agriculture, industry, and international trade, and these factors are similarly considered in establishing environmental policy;
- all parts of society — communities, individuals, businesses, and state, local and tribal governments — have access to accurate information sufficient to effectively participate in managing human health and environmental risks;
- environmental protection contributes to making our communities and ecosystems diverse, sustainable and economically productive; and
- the United States plays a leadership role in working with other nations to protect the global environment.
Department Budget: $8,058,488,000 (FY 2017)
Number of employees: 15,408
Primary Duties of the Administrator: Responsible for maintaining and enforcing national environmental laws and advising the president on environment related issues.
Administrator Info
Administrator: Scott Pruitt
Previous occupation: Attorney General for Oklahoma.
Education: BA in political science and communications from Georgetown College (KY) and J.D. from University of Tulsa College of Law.
Previous government experience: Served eight years in the Oklahoma State Senate.
Religious Affiliation: Baptist
Notable achievements:
• Was co-owner and the managing general partner of the Oklahoma City RedHawks, a AAA minor league baseball team.
•As Oklahoma Attorney General, he sued the EPA 14 times.
Previous and forthcoming posts in this series: Vice President, Secretary of State, Secretary of the Treasury, Secretary of Education, Secretary of Labor, Secretary of Defense, Attorney General, Secretary of the Interior, Secretary of Agriculture, Secretary of Commerce, Secretary of Health and Human Services, Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, Secretary of Transportation, Secretary of Energy, Secretary of Veterans Affairs, Secretary of Homeland Security, White House Chief of Staff, U.S. Trade Representative, Director of National Intelligence, Representative of the United States to the United Nations, Director of the Office of Management and Budget, Director of the Central Intelligence Agency, Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, Administrator of the Small Business Administration
