Overnight Energy: EPA chief takes aim at Obama’s environmental record.
PRUITT TAKES ON OBAMA: Environmental Protection Agency administrator Scott Pruitt slammed former President Obama’s environmental record on Thursday, saying he fell victim to "poor leadership" and "poor focus."
But when you look at air attainment in this country, we’re at 40 percent non-attainment right now on ozone," he said, referencing areas of the country that have failed to reduce ozone pollution levels.
Pruitt’s criticism of Obama’s environmental record comes as he faces backlash to his own policies, including Trump administration efforts to reverse Obama-era climate change and water quality regulations and proposed budget cuts that greens say would hamstring the agency’s regulatory powers.
Energy Secretary Rick Perry said Thursday that "the system worked as it should and all are safe" at Hanford, where the roof of a tunnel filled with radioactive waste collapsed on Tuesday.
PENCE TO MONTANA COAL MINE: Vice President Mike Pence will campaign for Montana congressional candidate Greg Gianforte on Friday, on a trip that will also see him venture into one of the state’s coal mines.
WASHINGTON AG VOWS TO PROTECT MONUMENTS: Washington Attorney General Bob Ferguson (D) is vowing legal action against the Trump administration if the president tries to rescind national monuments within his state’s borders.
Ferguson, who grabbed national headlines by challenging Trump’s travel ban in court earlier this year, sent a letter to Zinke saying that the administration has no authority to undo or reduce the size of monument designations.
The Interior Department started accepting comments on Zinke’s review of dozens of national monument designations going back two decades, including the Hanford Reach National Monument in Washington.
Check out Thursday’s stories … -Maryland approves two offshore wind farms -Judge approves $1.2B Volkswagen settlement -Pence campaigns for Montana special election candidate -EPA chief: Obama was no ‘environmental savior’ -Workers repair hole in Washington nuclear site tunnel Please send tips and comments to Timothy Cama, tcama@thehill.com; and Devin Henry, dhenry@thehill.com.