Administrator Pruitt said his first principle will be that “regulations ought to make things regular.” In other words, companies that work in a regulated environment should know what is expected of them so they can plan and allocate resources to comply with those regulations. He said the agency should avoid making rules through informal guidance documents or through making settlements in litigation that bypass the normal notice-and-comment procedures. He also argued the agency should stick closer to the authority granted to it by Congress, and not exceed its mandate. The states and regional EPA offices will be given a more prominent role under Mr. Pruitt’s leadership as well. He did not mention climate change once in his speech, and that has been a major focus of the agency in past years. So despite his conciliatory tone, the focus of the agency will likely be completely changed.
The bottom line is that Administrator Pruitt says he will try to make the EPA “both pro-energy and pro-environment.” If that pans out, it could be a major boost for the industry that already seems to be trending upwards. The experts at Cimmaron Land are standing by to help companies hoping to expand their operations with any land services needs. Just give us a call to learn more.