Pruitt Meets With Nation's Mayors About EPA

Reports are now out that President Donald Trump is expected to cut a quarter of the Environmental Protection Agency's budget.

New EPA chief Scott Pruitt met yesterday with the U.S. Conference of Mayors, chaired by Oklahoma City mayor Mick Cornett, from across the nation to ease their doubts about the future of some EPA programs.

Pruitt's agency is expected to take a 25 percent hit in the next federal budget. Still, Pruitt says the Superfund program remains essential. Several sites in Oklahoma are covered in the program that exists to respond to emergencies like oil spills and natural disasters. Cushing, Tinker, and two refineries in OKC are just some of the sites covered.

Pruitt also reassured the mayors water infrastructure is essential. The latest report by the American Society of Civil Engineers graded Oklahoma's water infrastructure a D-plus and said $6.5 billion is needed over the next 20 years to fix that issue.

Pruitt says the entire nation is facing the same problems.

The cuts to the EPA are just proposals by the President. Congress will have the final say.