Investigating Power
Climate, Democracy, Environment
Just days after the senate narrowly approved former Oklahoma attorney general and perpetual climate change denier, Scott Pruitt, as the head of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the Center for Media and Democracy released a trove of emails confirming Pruitt’s massive conflicts of interest.
Climate, Democracy, Environment
Scott Pruitt’s office in Oklahoma City handed over 7,000 pages of internal emails to watchdogs under a court order yesterday, providing new details of his close relationship with the fossil fuel industry just days after he was confirmed to run the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
Climate, Democracy, Environment
Newly appointed US Environmental Protection Agency head Scott Pruitt’s emails between himself and the fossil fuel industry have been released. The emails revealed cozy relationships with lobbyists.
In the wake of the distressing confirmation of Scott Pruitt to ruin the Environmental Protection Agency—the very agency he has undermined for years—there are important lessons to learn beyond the fact that Republicans outnumber Democrats in the Senate, and that millions of Americans are still caught in the false trap of “jobs vs. environment.”
As Oklahoma’s attorney general, Scott Pruitt, now the Environmental Protection Agency administrator, closely coordinated with major oil and gas producers, electric utilities and political groups with ties to the libertarian billionaire brothers Charles G. and David H. Koch to roll back environmental regulations, according to over 6,000 pages of emails made public on Wednesday.
In his previous role as Oklahoma’s attorney general, the Environmental Protection Agency’s new administrator regularly huddled with fossil fuel firms and electric utilities about how to combat federal environmental regulations and spoke to conservative political groups about what they called government “overreach,” according to thousands of pages of emails made public Wednesday.
More than 7,000 pages of emails from Environmental Protection Agency head Scott Pruitt indicate a cozy relationship with oil and gas producers, fossil fuel companies, electric companies, as well as political groups tied to the Koch Brothers during his time as Oklahoma Attorney General.
Documents suggest former Oklahoma AG followed lobby group’s guidance on challenging environmental regulations, and put letterhead to oil firm complaints more than once.
Newly installed EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt closely coordinated with major oil and gas companies, refiners and groups linked to the billionaire Koch brothers to combat environmental regulations during his time as Oklahoma attorney general, according to thousands of pages of e-mails released Wednesday.
Many of the regulations discussed in the emails still sit before EPA today, putting them squarely in Pruitt’s lap.