Scott Pruitt hails era of environmental deregulation in speech at coal mine

EPA administrator declared an end to the government's 'war' on coal in a speech to miners - an agenda that has been bitterly opposed by agency staff

Scott Pruitt, the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) administrator, heralded a new era of environmental deregulation on Thursday, in a speech at a coal mine that was fined last year for contaminating local waterways with toxic materials.

Pruitt said the new "back to basics" agenda for the EPA would focus on devolving oversight of clean air and water to individual states, and bolstering jobs in industries such as coal, oil and gas.