WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, U.S. Senator John Barrasso (R-WY), chairman of the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works (EPW), released the following statement on Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Scott Pruitt’s intention to appoint Wyoming’s Cara Keslar to serve on the EPA Board of Scientific Counselors Air, Climate, and Energy Subcommittee. Keslar currently serves as the monitoring section supervisor for the Air Quality Division of the Wyoming Department of Environmental Quality.

“Cara Keslar is an outstanding addition to the Environmental Protection Agency’s advisory board,” said Barrasso. “She brings years of experience serving the people of Wyoming. Her expertise and perspective will ensure that Wyoming and other Western states are part of the EPA’s decision making process.”

Earlier this week, EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt issued a directive to strengthen advisory committee member independence, increase state and local government participation, and enhance geographic diversity. Key advisory committees at EPA include the Science Advisory Board, the Clean Air Scientific Advisory Committee, and the Board of Scientific Counselors.

Background Information:

On July 27, 2017, Senator Barrasso sent a letter to Pruitt regarding needed reforms to the Clean Air Scientific Advisory Committee (CASAC). In the letter, Barrasso called on Pruitt to “revisit past CASAC practices to make them compliant with the statute.” CASAC is supposed to provide independent counsel to the administrator on issues specifically listed in the Clean Air Act related to the federal National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS).

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