House Dems Finally Get to Grill Pruitt. Here's Their Plan (E&E News)

As Scott Pruitt makes his long-awaited return to Capitol Hill tomorrow morning, House Democrats are getting a rare chance to question the U.S. EPA boss face to face about his climate change agenda.

Pruitt is slated to testify before members of the House Energy and Commerce Committee during a hearing about EPA's mission. Democrats on the Subcommittee on Environment holding the hearing say they plan on addressing everything from the agency's rollback of climate regulations to its shrinking budget.

"I'm concerned about the culture of secrecy that Administrator Pruitt has taken into EPA, in particular I want to know what his plan is for dealing with climate change because he has been pretty secretive about what he wants to do about that," said Rep. Diana DeGette (D-Colo.), a subcommittee member.

Pruitt has taken a number of steps to undermine the agency's work on controlling greenhouse gas emissions — like rolling back the Clean Power Plan, attempting to stall methane regulations on the oil and gas industry, and drastically revising estimates of how much greenhouse gas emissions are costing the country. He also pushed for the United States to exit from the Paris climate accord. However, it is still unclear how thoroughly Pruitt intends to reverse the agency's course on climate action. The administrator has yet to launch his promised "red team, blue team" debate on climate science, and he has been murky about whether he plans to reconsider EPA's endangerment finding on greenhouse gases.

"We really need to get answers here, this will be our first hearing with [Administrator] Pruitt, I think it's important that he come in prepared to answer our questions and work collegially with the committee," DeGette said.

Among the regulatory changes that concern Democrats on the committee are the reconsideration of vehicle emissions standards and the rollback of the Clean Power Plan and methane regulations.

Rep. Doris Matsui (D-Calif.), said in a statement: "Climate change can't be ignored. We have effective, available policies that are good for both the environment and our economy, which I plan to discuss with Administrator Pruitt on Thursday."

The representatives also have concerns on EPA-related work happening closer to home.

Rep. Debbie Dingell (D-Mich.) will focus on questions about her district, including the futures of EPA's fuel economy lab and Region 5 office. Rumors swirled earlier this year that Pruitt was planning to shut down the regional office that oversees Michigan and other states, and the Trump administration's budget slashed funding for the lab (Climatewire, May 24). Dingell will also be asking questions about the lead contamination in Flint, Mich.; stalled progress in updating the lead and copper rule; and the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative, according to a spokesperson.

Other hot-button topics, like EPA's budget cuts, concern Rep. Scott Peters (D-Calif.), too.

"A lot of these budgets are being decimated, it's hurting not just the ability to regulate but to be able to respond to industry requests," said Peters. "I don't understand why anyone thinks these drastic underfunding plans are good for anyone, whether it is a regulated community or industry."

The hearing comes as the agency has faced sharp criticism of Pruitt from the public and environmental groups. Yesterday, over 1,000 scientists sent a letter to Energy and Commerce Chairman Greg Walden (R-Ore.) and ranking member Frank Pallone (D-N.J.), requesting oversight of EPA's new policy to exclude scientists from its advisory panels who receive EPA grant funding.

The letter also went to Sens. John Barrasso (R-Wyo.) and Tom Carper (D-Del.), the chairman and ranking member of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, respectively.

In a blog post, Ken Kimmell, the president of the Union of Concerned Scientists, also urged the House committee to focus its questions on Pruitt's regulatory oversight record, his "Back to Basics" agenda, staffing cuts to the agency and science.

"These oversight hearings offer a critical opportunity for leaders on both sides of the aisle to ask tough questions, demand responsive information rather than platitudes, and voice their disapproval about how Administrator Pruitt has run the EPA," Kimmell wrote.

EPW will get its chance to question Pruitt early next year. It has a hearing scheduled for Jan. 31.