Trump settles on Oklahoma's attorney general to lead EPA

WASHINGTON (AP) — President-elect Donald Trump today confirmed he will nominate Oklahoma Attorney General Scott Pruitt, a global-warming skeptic, to lead the Environmental Protection Agency, which he has repeatedly sued and derided for pursuing an "activist agenda."

"My administration strongly believes in environmental protection, and Scott Pruitt will be a powerful advocate for that mission while promoting jobs, safety and opportunity," Trump said in an early morning statement.

Trump said Pruitt, 48, will restore the EPA's "essential mission of keeping our air and our water clean and safe" while ensuring that the agency doesn't spend tax money on an "out of control, anti-energy agenda."

Pruitt, in a statement released by Trump's transition team, said Americans "are tired of seeing billions of dollars drained from our economy due to unnecessary EPA regulations, and I intend to run this agency in a way that fosters both responsible protection of the environment and freedom for American businesses."

After word broke Wednesday of the expected pick, environmental groups took a strong stand against Pruitt, describing him as a puppet of polluters. The Sierra Club said it was like "putting an arsonist in charge of fighting fires."

Representatives of mining and oil interests, however, cheered Trump's choice.