Trump picks fossil fuel ally to head environment agency

Oklahoma Attorney General Scott Pruitt arrives at Trump Tower on December 7, 2016. -AFP

WASHINGTON: President-elect Donald Trump has tapped Oklahoma Attorney General Scott Pruitt to head the Environmental Protection Agency, transition officials told US media Wednesday, drawing loud criticism from Democrats who warn the fossil fuel ally is a climate change denier.

The Republican Pruitt has spent much of his time as Oklahoma’s top law enforcement official battling the very agency he is now being nominated to lead, with his official biography proudly highlighting his role as “a leading advocate against the EPA’s activist agenda.”