EPA Pick Scott Pruitt Confirmed In Senate Vote

Scott Pruitt, the Oklahoma attorney general and President Trump's nominee to be head of the Environmental Protection Agency, was confirmed to his Cabinet-level role Friday by a Senate vote of 52-46 .

He won the support of Democratic Senators Joe Manchin of West Virginia and Heidi Heitkamp of North Dakota while losing the vote of Republican Senator Susan Collins of Maine.

Senators John McCain, of Arizona, and John Donelly, of Indiana, did not vote.

Many EPA employees have expressed uneasiness with the appointment. Pruitt has voiced skepticism about climate change, and he has sued the EPA in his role as attorney general. Critics also allege that he has deep ties to the fossil fuel industry.

"We need an EPA administrator whose priority is the safety of people, not the profits of the fossil fuel industry," said Sen. Bernie Sanders, the Vermont Independent. "Pruitt is not that person."

"He's exceptionally qualified," Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said. "He's dedicated to environmental protection. And, as someone with state government experience, he understands the real-world consequences of EPA actions and knows that balance is the key to making policies that are sustainable over the long-term."

The vote came at an awkward time for Pruitt. On Thursday, an Oklahoma judge ordered him to release potentially thousands of emails with fossil fuel companies while attorney general. However, he doesn't have to turn the documents over until Tuesday.

Watch the proceedings below:

Photo credit: Lorie Shaull