Big changes continue to come out of Washington that have the potential to help growth of the region’s energy industry in the long run. An agency-wide directive was issued on Monday by EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt aimed at ending the “Sue and Settle” practices of the past. “The days of regulation through litigation are over,” states Pruitt. “We will no longer go behind closed doors and use consent decrees and settlement agreements to resolve lawsuits filed against the Agency by special interest groups where doing so would circumvent the regulatory process set forth by Congress. Additionally, gone are the days of routinely paying tens of thousands of dollars in attorney’s fees to these groups with which we swiftly settle.” Pruitt’s directive is said to ensure that the EPA will increase transparency, improve public engagement, and provide accountability to the American public. Former Moffat County Commissioner John Kinkaid has issued his support for the directive and states that the changes need to go through Congress so that the next President can’t just “flip it back.”
