Scott Pruitt resigns as America's first environmental protection agency after strong criticism | Nature

I accepted the resignation of Scott Pruitt as a director of the Environmental Protection Agency. Inside the agency, Scott has done a great job and I will always be grateful for that. The Senate confirmed that EPA Vice President Andrew Wheeler will badume EPA's leadership role on Monday. I have no doubt that Andy will pursue the long and lasting EPA program. We have made progress and the future of the EPA is brilliant !, Donald Trump wrote in his Twitter ad.

Pruitt pleased the US president by repealing environmental regulations, but received severe criticism and ethical questions from the opposition and non-governmental organizations. He has made different first clbad trips with US government money, established links with lobbyists and with business groups. He was accused of using his own office for personal belongings and created a soundproof telephone booth.

Many members of the Democratic Congress and even some Republican colleagues demanded the resignation of Pruitt.

From a political point of view, however, Trump says that he was one of the "most effective members of the cabinet." The US president congratulated the EPA chief for repealing Barack Obama's program to reduce carbon emissions from factories, known as the "Clean Energy Plan." Pruitt also contributed to the country's decision to leave the Paris Agreement, with international targets to combat global warming.