EPA Senior Policy advisor Mandy Gunasekra must have missed the memo from her boss that states the agency will no longer pick winners and losers. Gunasakara told attendees at the Eastern Fuel Buyers coal conference, "I'm here to talk to you to make sure what we're doing in D.C. is beneficial for you.” She went on to assure the group that the EPA under the Trump administration would do everything it can to keep its actions out of the courts—a possible reference to the number of legal delays the EPA is currently pursuing in its quest to roll back environmental protections. Finally, in response to media reports that President Trump has already taken 23 steps taken against public health and the environment, she told the coal audience, “Wow, we’ve done 23. That’s pretty good. We’ll do a lot more. We’re going to keep going.” Clearly, EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt and his team are committed to pushing coal (an already doomed industry thanks to automation and cheap natural gas) more than the agency’s actual mission to protect public health from pollution.
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