EPA Nomination - Scott Pruitt - Federalism and the Rule of Law

Scott Pruitt, President-elect Trump's nomination for EPA Administrator, had his nomination hearing before the US Senate Environment & Public Works Committee yesterday.  Each of twenty senators had fifteen minutes to question Mr. Pruitt spread throughout the day.  Comments and questions covered his tenure as Oklahoma Attorney General (OKAG), his association with the Republican Attorneys General Association (RAGA) and the Rule of Law Defense Fund, and his fourteen separate law suits as OKAG brought against the EPA challenging its implementation of environmental regulations. Republicans control the majority of Congress as well as the White House, and therefore we would expect Mr. Pruitt to be confirmed as EPA Administrator.  The nomination process has brought out Mr. Pruitt's belief in climate change, his belief that the EPA has a role to play, and his desire to return to, in his words, the "Rule of Law" in executing the EPA's mandate.