The chief executive officer of the Associated General Contractors of America, Stephen E. Sandherr, and the President of the Association, Art Daniel, released the following statement in reaction to EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt's announcement that the agency will no longer negotiate new regulatory requirements with specials interest groups that file "citizen suites" hoping to negotiate settlements that will tie the agency's hands:

"It is encouraging to see the administration announce that it will no longer surrender to litigious groups abusing the legal process to impose new, unworkable burdens on the business community," said Sandherr. "By putting an end to back room agreements, the administrator is making sure that all affected parties have an opportunity to contribute to the discussion about measures needed to protect our environment."

"The administrator is taking an important step to bring reason back to the federal regulatory process," said Art Daniel, the association's president and the president and COO of AR Daniel Construction Services, Inc. in Cedar Hill, Texas.