Scott Pruitt is lodging, spending, flying and staffing his way into a hot political mess that could end his career — antics that are both ridiculous and irrelevant in the grand scheme of America’s environmental policy.

Bottom line: People who think Pruitt’s policies would end if he leaves need a reality check. Everyone working under Pruitt, and anyone that would replace Pruitt as chief of the EPA, would embody similar policies. The dismantling of the last administration’s environmental agenda would continue as long as Republicans control the White House.

The big picture: Pruitt’s environmental views are actually in line with most conservative elected officials since Ronald Reagan was elected president in 1980. What’s changed is how empowered Pruitt is under President Trump, along with most GOP lawmakers’ dismissive view o