SCOTT PRUITT/TRUMP ADMIN/TRUMP PEOPLE: “Scott Pruitt, while in charge of the Environmental Protection Agency during the Trump administration, repeatedly pressured his federal security officers to drive at excessive and sometimes dangerous speeds on routine trips, with sirens and emergency lights on, because he had a habit of running late, according to a federal report released […]
Category: Scott Pruitt
8/8/2020
ALASKA/ENVIRONMENT/JOE BIDEN/SCOT PRUITT/TRUMP PEOPLE: “Bristol Bay has been foundational to the way of life of Alaska Natives for countless generations… and is an economic powerhouse that supplies half of the world’s wild sockeye salmon. It is no place for a mine… [A]fter former EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt met with a mining executive behind closed doors, […]
7/27/2018
EPA/SCOTT PRUITT/TRUMP PEOPLE: “The Environmental Protection Agency will now enforce an Obama-era rule that limits diesel truck emissions, reversing one of the final decisions made under former agency chief Scott Pruitt…Without referring to Pruitt by name, Wheeler noted the decision made earlier this month was both proposed and approved by EPA offices on the same […]
7/9/2018
EPA/ETHICS/SCOTT PRUITT/TRUMP PEOPLE: “The acting Environmental Protection Agency chief, Andrew Wheeler, is bringing to the job a ‘change in tone,’ the agency said, that could shed greater light on the decisions and actions of EPA leadership. The EPA’s former administrator, Scott Pruitt, broke with his predecessors’ common practices of publishing a calendar online and announcing […]
7/8/2018
EPA/SCOTT PRUITT/TRUMP PEOPLE: “Scott Pruitt’s brief, tumultuous tenure as the head of the Environmental Protection Agency has left him disgraced in the eyes of many in Washington and across the country. But it may not have done him much harm in his home state. Though a comeback for Mr. Pruitt is far from assured, some […]
7/5/2018
EPA/ETHICS/SCOTT PRUITT/TRUMP PEOPLE: “Scott Pruitt’s once bright political future is in doubt after his sudden fall from grace as head of the EPA, following an avalanche of revelations about his first-class flights, pricey security trappings, backdoor raises for proteges and sweetheart deals with lobbyists stretching from his Oklahoma roots to his arrival in Washington. Some […]
7/5/2018
EPA/SCOTT PRUITT/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Scott Pruitt has resigned after months of ethics controversies, President Donald Trump tweeted Thursday [7-5-18]…An ethics cloud hung over Pruitt for months, as lawmakers from both parties, environmental groups and government watchdogs raised questions about his spending, housing arrangements, security team and raises for political appointees. A […]
7/5/2018
EPA/SCOTT PRUITT/TRUMP PEOPLE: “Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Scott Pruitt has resigned from his post, President Donald Trump said. Mr. Pruitt exits amid a series of allegations over ethics and spending. ‘I have accepted the resignation of Scott Pruitt as the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency. Within the Agency Scott has done an outstanding job, […]
7/5/2018
EPA/ETHICS/SCOTT PRUITT/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “Two Democratic Congressmen Thursday [7-5-18] called on the EPA’s Inspector General to investigate whether Administrator Scott Pruitt committed a federal crime by allegedly hiding or falsifying records of meetings and discussions with industry representatives. The calls for the IG to examine Pruitt come two days after an exclusive CNN investigation featuring […]
7/5/2018
EPA/SCOTT PRUITT/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT/TRUMP PEOPLE: “I have accepted the resignation of Scott Pruitt as the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency. Within the Agency Scott has done an outstanding job, and I will always be thankful to him for this. The Senate confirmed Deputy at EPA, Andrew Wheeler, will…” –Donald Trump, Twitter.com, July 5, 2018 […]
7/5/2018
EPA/ETHICS/SCOTT PRUITT/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “U.S. Environmental Protection Agency chief Scott Pruitt, who pleased President Donald Trump with his aggressive efforts to roll back environmental regulations, resigned on Thursday [5-7-18] under heavy fire for a series of ethics controversies. Pruitt had been under scrutiny for months for his first-class travel at taxpayer expense, lavish spending on […]
7/3/2018
EPA/ETHICS/SCOTT PRUITT/TRUMP PEOPLE: “EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt and his aides have kept ‘secret’ calendars and schedules to overtly hide controversial meetings or calls with industry representatives and others, according to a former EPA official who is expected to soon testify before Congress. A review of EPA documents by CNN found discrepancies between Pruitt’s official calendar […]
6/19/2018
EPA/ETHICS/SCOTT PRUITT/SENATE/TRUMP PEOPLE: “U.S. Environmental Protection Agency chief Scott Pruitt will testify before the Senate’s environment committee in August, panel chairman Senator John Barrasso said on Tuesday [6-19-18], where he will face questions about spending and ethics controversies. Barrasso said previously that he would call Pruitt to testify about Pruitt’s spending on first class travel, […]
6/6/2018
EPA/SCOTT PRUITT/TRUMP PEOPLE: “EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt loves eating at the White House mess, an exclusive U.S. Navy-run restaurant open only to White House officials, Cabinet members and other dignitaries. But apparently he liked it too much, and the White House asked him to please eat elsewhere sometimes. In response to Pruitt’s recurring use of […]
6/6/2018
EPA/ETHICS/SCOTT PRUITT/TRUMP PEOPLE: “U.S. President Donald Trump on Wednesday [6-6-18] praised the job being done by Environmental Protection Agency chief Scott Pruitt, who is under fire over ethics and spending issues…Trump’s praise follows mounting ethics concerns about Pruitt. The EPA chief has been criticized for paying below-market rent on a lobbyist-owned condominium, for his routine […]
6/4/2018
EPA/ETHICS/SCOTT PRUITT/TRUMP PEOPLE: “Environmental Protection Agency chief Scott Pruitt had a top aide seek a used mattress from the Trump International Hotel and perform other personal chores for him, including house-hunting and booking personal travel, according to testimony released Monday [6-4-18]. Millan Hupp’s transcribed interview last month before a panel of House Oversight and Government […]
6/1/2018
EPA/ETHICS/SCOTT PRUITT/TRUMP PEOPLE: “A lawyer tapped to lead a task force at the Environmental Protection Agency overseeing cleanups at the nation’s most polluted places worked until recently for a top chemical and plastics manufacturer with a troubled legacy of creating some of those toxic sites. Steven D. Cook has been named as the new chair […]
5/25/2018
EPA/ETHICS/SCOTT PRUITT/TRUMP PEOPLE: “Security costs for Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Scott Pruitt tally up to nearly $3.5 million for the past year, according to figures the agency released Friday [5-25-18]. The documents show the agency spent $2,726,719 on pay for the team of 19 agents who protect Pruitt around the clock. The agency also spent […]
5/15/2018
ENERGY [ALTERNATIVE]/EPA/GOP/SCOTT PRUITT/TRUMP PEOPLE: “Republican Senator Chuck Grassley on Tuesday [5-15-18] said Environmental Protection Agency chief Scott Pruitt must scale back the use of biofuels waivers for small refineries, or else he will join other lawmakers calling for Pruitt’s resignation. The demand ramps up pressure on the embattled EPA administrator, who is already under pressure […]
5/14/2018
EPA/SCOTT PRUITT/TRUMP PEOPLE: “Scott Pruitt’s unprecedented 24/7 security detail began at his own request and on his first day as Environmental Protection Agency administrator, according to a letter from the agency’s inspector general, contradicting his claim the around-the-clock protection was a response to an assessment of death threats against him. Pruitt ‘requested 24/7 protection once […]
5/11/2018
EPA/SCOTT PRUITT/TRUMP PEOPLE: “U.S. President Donald Trump on Friday [5-11-18] said that embattled Environmental Protection Agency Director Scott Pruitt still has his confidence. Pruitt has been criticized for a series of potential ethics lapses, including flying first class, excessive spending on security, and the rental of a room in a Washington condominium owned by the […]
5/8/2018
EPA/SCOTT PRUITT/TRUMP PEOPLE: “On a trip to Morocco last year, Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Scott Pruitt and his staff missed a connecting flight and spent more than 24 hours in Paris because his security detail’s weapons and other gear couldn’t be transferred between the planes in time, his former security chief told congressional staffers last […]
5/7/2018
EPA/SCOTT PRUITT/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “The Environmental Protection Agency had a total of 33 threat investigations underway as of mid-March — 10 of them involving Scott Pruitt from the last six months — a security assessment released Monday [5-7-18] shows, offering the most detailed tally yet of threats against the agency’s top official. The memos, provided […]
5/3/2018
EPA/ETHICS/LOBBYING/SCOTT PRUITT/TRUMP PEOPLE: “Since moving to Washington, Scott Pruitt, the head of the Environmental Protection Agency, has attracted the attention of federal investigators because of his unusual association with lobbyists, including his rental of a condominium last year owned by the wife of a lobbyist with business before the E.P.A. As a state senator in […]
5/3/2018
EPA/ETHICS/SCOTT PRUITT/TRUMP PEOPLE: “The top spokeswoman for Environmental Protection Agency is leaving the agency, the third departure this week of an aide close to Administrator Scott Pruitt, who is facing investigations into management and spending practices. Liz Bowman’s announcement follows the exit of two other top EPA officials—Mr. Pruitt’s head of security and the administrator […]
5/1/2018
CALIFORNIA/EPA/LAWSUIT/SCOTT PRUITT/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “A coalition led by California sued the Trump administration over car emissions rules on Tuesday [5-1-18], escalating a revolt against a proposed rollback of fuel economy standards that threatens to split the country’s auto market. In a lawsuit filed in the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia, […]
4/27/2018
EPA/SCOTT PRUITT/TRUMP PEOPLE: “Scott Pruitt has something to boast about when it comes to the Environmental Protection Agency’s record on cleaning up toxic sites since he took over the agency. But it’s a boast only made possible by achievements of the Obama administration…The EPA declared seven cleanups complete from its Superfund priority list last year, […]
4/26/2018
DEMS/EPA/GOP/HEARING/SCOTT PRUITT/TRUMP PEOPLE: “Scott Pruitt, the head of the Environmental Protection Agency, is testifying on Capitol Hill on Thursday [4-26-18] afternoon, the second and final session in what’s turning out to be a daylong grilling over allegations of ethical infractions and lavish spending. The E.P.A. chief, whose job may be hanging by a thread, delivered […]
4/26/2018
EPA/ETHICS/SCOTT PRUITT/TRUMP PEOPLE: “U.S. Environmental Protection Agency chief Scott Pruitt on Thursday rejected a litany of ethics complaints against him as distortions intended to derail President Donald Trump’s agenda, and put much of the blame for any agency missteps on his staff.During two tense congressional hearings, Pruitt faced tough questions from Democrats and even some […]
4/26/2018
DEMS/EPA/ETHICS/GOP/HEARINGS/SCOTT PRUITT/TRUMP PEOPLE: “Environmental Protection Agency chief Scott Pruitt, yet another Trump administration official with his job on the line over ethical concerns, took heat from lawmakers Thursday [4-26-18] over his profligate spending and lobbyist ties and tried to divert responsibility to underlings. The EPA administrator said ‘twisted’ allegations against him were meant to undermine […]
4/26/2018
DEMS/EPA/SCOTT PRUITT/TRUMP PEOPLE: “Scott Pruitt, the head of the Environmental Protection Agency, fought back Thursday [4-26-18] against Democratic criticism of his spending and policies, asserting that the attacks were driven by opposition to President Donald Trump’s agenda. In a largely partisan hearing before a House subcommittee, Mr. Pruitt said he recognized the ‘very troubling reports’ […]
4/25/2018
EPA/ETHICS/SCOTT PRUITT/TRUMP PEOPLE: “Republican senators say they want President Donald Trump’s embattled environmental chief to address questions about ethics and spending decisions. But GOP lawmakers who have stood behind Scott Pruitt are stopping short of calling for him to step down, for now. They do say his answers at House hearings Thursday could prove crucial […]
4/24/2018
EPA/SCOTT PRUITT/TRUMP PEOPLE: “The Environmental Protection Agency announced a new regulation Tuesday [4-24-18] that would restrict the kinds of scientific studies the agency can use when it develops policies, a move critics say will permanently weaken the agency’s ability to protect public health. Under the measure, the E.P.A. will require that the underlying data for […]
4/24/2018
CONFLICT OF INTEREST/EPA/MEDIA/SCOTT PRUITT/TRUMP PEOPLE: “The former Secret Service agent who leads the security detail for Scott Pruitt, the head of the Environmental Protection Agency, worked on assignments for the tabloid news publisher American Media Inc. during the 2016 presidential campaign, according to records and interviews. The security official, Pasquale Perrotta, had received a waiver […]
4/21/2018
EPA/ETHICS/SCOTT PRUITT/TRUMP PEOPLE: “Early in Scott Pruitt’s political career, as a state senator from Tulsa, he attended a gathering at the Oklahoma City home of an influential telecommunications lobbyist who was nearing retirement and about to move away. The lobbyist said that after the 2003 gathering, Mr. Pruitt — who had a modest legal practice […]
4/20/2018
CONGRESS/EPA/ETHICS/SCOTT PRUITT/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “Some of the most reliable conservatives in Congress are starting to speak out against Scott Pruitt, the chief of the Environmental Protection Agency who is now facing a barrage of ethics and spending questions. Previously, conservative Republicans had shown a reluctance to question the actions of top Trump administration officials. Their […]
4/20/2018
EPA/SCOTT PRUITT/TRUMP PEOPLE: “One of embattled EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt’s most trusted advisers sought to retroactively change her resignation date a day after the House oversight committee requested to interview her as part of its investigation. Samantha Dravis, Pruitt’s top policy adviser at the Environmental Protection Agency, is scheduled to depart the agency Friday [4-20-18]. […]
4/19/2018
DEMS/EPA/SCOTT PRUITT/TRUMP PEOPLE: “The Environmental Protection Agency’s inspector general will investigate agency Administrator Scott Pruitt’s use of his official security detail on recent personal trips, the latest in a string of congressional, White House and internal probes into his spending on security and travel. The investigation comes at the request of Democratic Senator Sheldon Whitehouse, […]
4/18/2018
BEN CARSON/EPA/SCOTT PRUITT/TRUMP PEOPLE: “The White House will look into oversight reports on Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Scott Pruitt and Housing and Urban Development Secretary Ben Carson, Office of Management and Budget Director Mick Mulvaney said on Wednesday [4-18-18]…The White House will look into oversight reports on Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Scott Pruitt and Housing […]
4/17/2018
EPA/SCOTT PRUITT/SENATE/TRUMP PEOPLE: “The Republican chairman of a Senate oversight committee is pressing the head of the Environmental Protection Agency to provide details about his use of multiple government email addresses. Senate Environment and Public Works Chairman John Barrasso issued a letter asking EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt to disclose all his email addresses and affirm […]
4/16/2018
EPA/SCOTT PRUITT/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency violated the law when it approved a $43,000 soundproof phone booth last year for the office of embattled Administrator Scott Pruitt, a congressional watchdog unit said on Monday [4-16-18]. The Government Accountability Office said the EPA violated the Financial Services and General Government Appropriations Act, which […]
4/12/2018
DEMS/EPA/ETHICS/SCOTT PRUITT/TRUMP PEOPLE: “A high-ranking political staffer at the Environmental Protection Agency has told lawmakers he faced retaliation after pushing back against outsized spending demands from Administrator Scott Pruitt and his top aides. House and Senate Democrats sent letters Thursday [4-12-18] to President Donald Trump and Pruitt describing a meeting they had with Kevin Chmielewski, […]
4/12/2018
EPA/SCOTT PRUITT/SENATE/TRUMP PEOPLE: “The Senate on Thursday [4-12-18] is widely expected to confirm the Environmental Protection Agency’s second-in-command, Andrew Wheeler, a former coal lobbyist who not only shares the deregulatory zeal of Scott Pruitt, the E.P.A. chief, but also his doubtful view of climate science. More notable, however, are the differences between the two men. […]
4/12/2018
DEMS/ETHICS/SCOTT PRUITT/TRUMP PEOPLE: “DemocratIc U.S. lawmakers asked embattled Environmental Protection Agency chief Scott Pruitt on Thursday [4-12-2018] to provide documents about ethics issues they said were revealed to them by a former agency official, including spending on bulletproof vests, weapons, and a contract with an Italian security service. The Democrats, including Senators Tom Carper, Sheldon […]
4/11/2018
EPA/SCOTT PRUITT/TRUMP PEOPLE: “When Scott Pruitt wanted to refashion the Environmental Protection Agency’s “challenge coin” — a type of souvenir medallion with military origins that has become a status symbol among civilians — he proposed an unusual design: Make it bigger, and delete the E.P.A. logo. Mr. Pruitt instead wanted the coin to feature some […]
4/11/2018
CONGRESS/EPA/SCOTT PRUITT/TRUMP PEOPLE: “The Republican head of the U.S. House of Representative’s oversight committee told Environmental Protection Agency chief Scott Pruitt on Wednesday [4-11-18] his agency has not provided requested documents about expensive air travel, including documents related to any threats that had been made on Pruitt. Representative Trey Gowdy, the oversight committee chairman, said […]
4/9/2018
EPA/ETHICS/SCOTT PRUITT/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “The federal government’s top voice on ethics has sent a letter to the Environmental Protection Agency outlining areas of concern regarding agency chief Scott Pruitt. The pointed letter from David Apol, the acting director and general counsel of the Office of Government Ethics, summarizes reports of Pruitt’s conduct, including a rental […]
4/6/2018
EPA/JOHN KELLY/SCOTT PRUITT/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT/TRUMP PEOPLE: “White House Chief of Staff John Kelly told President Donald Trump last week that he is convinced Environmental Protection Agency chief Scott Pruitt needs to step down after a series of negative reports about his spending habits and management style, a White House official said Friday [4-6-18]. Though Mr. […]
4/6/2018
EPA/SCOTT PRUITT/TRUMP PEOPLE: “U.S. Environmental Protection Agency head Scott Pruitt held 25-times more meetings with industry representatives than environmental advocates during his first seven months in office, according to a Reuters analysis of his schedule, reflecting the agency’s pro-business approach under his tenure. The newly released records, obtained by the Environmental Integrity Project watchdog group […]
4/6/2018
DEMS/NANCY PELOSI/SCOTT PRUITT/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT/TRUMP PEOPLE: “U.S. Representative Nancy Pelosi, the top Democrat in the House of Representatives, on Friday [4-6-18] called for Scott Pruitt to resign as head of the Environmental Protection Agency amid a growing scandal involving a condo he rented at well-below-market rates from a lobbyist’s wife as well as his spending […]
4/6/2018
JEFF SESSIONS/SCOTT PRUITT/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT/TRUMP PEOPLE: “President Donald Trump floated replacing Attorney General Jeff Sessions with Scott Pruitt as recently as this week, even as the scandal-ridden head of the Environmental Protection Agency has faced a growing list of negative headlines, according to people close to the President. ‘He was 100% still trying to protect […]
4/5/2018
CALIFORNIA/EPA/SCOTT PRUITT/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “Officials from the Trump administration and the State of California, who have been negotiating behind the scenes on car emissions standards, are expected to reopen talks that could preserve rules targeted by the Environmental Protection Agency for elimination, according to people briefed on the talks. Scott Pruitt, the E.P.A. administrator, announced […]
4/5/2018
EPA/SCOTT PRUITT/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “Scott Pruitt, the administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, is under increased White House scrutiny over his housing and travel arrangements as some of his own senior staff are expressing growing frustration with the public criticism of their boss, according to four people, including an E.P.A. official, who have spoken with […]
4/5/2018
EPA/LEGAL/SCOTT PRUITT/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT/TRUMP PEOPLE: “An Environmental Protection Agency lawyer said he wasn’t provided the full facts when he ruled there was no ethics violation in Administrator Scott Pruitt’s lease of a bargain-priced Capitol Hill condo with ties to a fossil fuels lobbyist. In the meantime, White House officials sounded increasingly doubtful Thursday [4-5-18] about […]
4/5/2018
EPA/SCOTT PRUITT/TRUMP PEOPLE: “President Donald Trump said on Thursday [4-5-18] he has confidence in Scott Pruitt, the head of the Environmental Protection Agency, even as the White House investigates whether a condo rental by Pruitt was ethical… Pruitt is facing a White House probe for renting a room in a high-end Washington neighborhood for $50 […]
4/3/2018
EPA/OBAMA/SCOTT PRUITT/TRUMP PEOPLE: “It should have been Scott Pruitt’s finest moment. Mr. Pruitt, the chief of the Environmental Protection Agency, has sought to make his name as the Trump administration’s most effective eraser of regulations on American industry. On Tuesday [4-3-18], he formally announced his most sweeping regulatory rollback to date: a plan to weaken […]
4/3/2018
EPA/SCOTT PRUITT/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “President Donald Trump and his chief of staff may be telling Scott Pruitt they have his back, but other White House officials are making it clear that the EPA leader’s future in the administration is still very much in doubt. It was a familiar mixed message for anyone following the daily […]
4/2/2018
SCOTT PRUITT/TRUMP PEOPLE: “The White House is conducting a review of Environmental Protection Agency chief Scott Pruitt’s activities after reports that he had rented accommodations in Washington at below-market rates from the family of an energy lobbyist, a White House official said Monday [4-2-18]. While there is no sign yet that Mr. Pruitt’s job is […]
3/6/2018
CONFLICT OF INTERESTS/ENERGY/EPA/ETHICS/SCOTT PRUITT: “U.S. House Democrats want answers from Environmental Protection Agency chief Scott Pruitt about political appointees in his agency who got special permission to moonlight for outside clients, which they said may compromise their impartiality. Top Democrats on the House Energy and Commerce Committee and its oversight subcommittee said they sent questions […]
3/2/2018
EPA/RELIGION/SCOTT PRUITT: “Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Scott Pruitt dismissed evolution as an unproven theory, lamented that ‘minority religions’ were pushing Christianity out of ‘the public square’ and advocated amending the Constitution to ban abortion, prohibit same-sex marriage and protect the Pledge of Allegiance and the Ten Commandments, according to a newly unearthed series of Oklahoma […]
2/26/2018
EPA/LEGAL/SCOTT PRUITT/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “The Environmental Protection Agency has experienced a huge surge in open records lawsuits since President Donald Trump took office, an analysis of data reviewed by POLITICO shows — a trend that comes amid mounting criticism of EPA’s secrecy about Administrator Scott Pruitt’s travels, meetings and policy decisions. The legal attacks also […]
2/21/2018
EPA/ETHICS/SCOTT PRUITT: “The chairman of the House Oversight Committee — in a prominent instance of Republican scrutiny of the Environmental Protection Agency under Scott Pruitt — demanded on Wednesday [2-21-18] that the E.P.A. chief turn over documents related to his first-class travel at taxpayer expense. Representative Trey Gowdy, Republican of South Carolina, called on Mr. […]
2/15/2018
EPA/SCOTT PRUITT: “EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt’s security team decided last year he should fly first class to avoid confrontations with angry individuals on planes and in airports, an agency official said Thursday [2-15-18] as EPA sought to explain the chief’s penchant for pricey travel. ‘He was approached in the airport numerous times, to the point […]
2/13/2018
EPA/SCOTT PRUITT: “Scott Pruitt’s flights in first class or via military jets are for security purposes, the Environmental Protection Agency administrator told The New Hampshire Union Leader on Tuesday [2-13-18]. Pruitt said he flew first class from Washington to Boston for his New Hampshire trip Tuesday… The Washington Post analyzed records and reported Monday that […]
2/8/2018
CLIMATE CHANGE/EPA/SCOTT PRUITT: “Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Scott Pruitt suggested Tuesday [2-6-18] that climate change could benefit humans, despite scientific evidence to the contrary. In an interview with KSNV in Las Vegas, Pruitt conceded that climate change is a reality and humans have contributed to it ‘to a certain degree.’ However, the EPA administrator cast […]
1/30/2018
EPA/SCOTT PRUITT/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Scott Pruitt said Tuesday [1-30-18] that he has no recollection of stinging remarks he made back in 2016 when he argued that Donald Trump would use executive power ‘in a way that is truly unconstitutional’ and would be ‘more abusive’ to the Constitution than President Barack Obama. […]
1/17/2018
CLIMATE CHANGE/EPA/SCOTT PRUITT: “Environmental Protection Agency chief Scott Pruitt plans to use his second year on the job to accelerate efforts to remake the agency, saying he wants to speed its permitting processes and transform a culture he says is bureaucratic. In an interview with The Wall Street Journal, Mr. Pruitt outlined the changes he […]
1/12/2018
BUDGET/EPA/SCOTT PRUITT: “The Environmental Protection Agency inspector general will look into agency spending in connection with EPA enforcement agents being used on Administrator Scott Pruitt’s security detail, according to a letter sent to Rep. Peter DeFazio, the top Democrat on the House Transportation Committee. The letter from Inspector General Arthur A. Elkins Jr. says that […]
12/27/2017
EPA/SCOTT PRUITT/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “A federal appeals court on Wednesday [12-27-17] ordered the Environmental Protection Agency to revise its nearly 17-year-old standard for dangerous levels of lead in paint and dust within one year, a rare legal move that amounts to a sharp rebuff of President Trump and Scott Pruitt, the E.P.A. administrator. The decision […]
12/22/2017
EPA/SCOTT PRUITT/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “More than 700 people have left the Environmental Protection Agency since President Trump took office, a wave of departures that puts the administration nearly a quarter of the way toward its goal of shrinking the agency to levels last seen during the Reagan administration… The departures reflect poor morale and a […]
12/19/2017
EPA/LEGAL/SCOTT PRUITT/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “The Environmental Protection Agency will indefinitely postpone bans on certain uses of three toxic chemicals found in consumer products, according to an update of the Trump administration’s regulatory plans. Critics said the reversal demonstrated the agency’s increasing reluctance to use enforcement powers granted to it last year by Congress under the […]
12/17/2017
EPA/SCOTT PRUITT: “One Environmental Protection Agency employee spoke up at a private lunch held near the agency headquarters, saying she feared the nation might be headed toward an ‘environmental catastrophe.’ Another staff member, from Seattle, sent a letter to Scott Pruitt, the E.P.A. administrator, raising similar concerns about the direction of the agency. A third, […]
11/28/2017
CLIMATE CHANGE/EPA/SCOTT PRUITT/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “In less than a year since taking the helm of the Environmental Protection Agency, Scott Pruitt has repealed the Obama administration’s Clean Power Plan and Waters of the United States rule, encouraged President Donald Trump’s withdrawal from the Paris climate agreement and removed scientists dependent on EPA funding from serving […]
10/31/2017
EPA/SCOTT PRUITT: “Scott Pruitt, the head of the Environmental Protection Agency, stripped a half-dozen scientists and academics of advisory positions Tuesday [10-31-7] and issued new rules barring anyone who receives E.P.A. grant money from serving on panels that counsel the agency on scientific decisions. The move will effectively bar a large number of academic researchers, […]
10/30/2017
EPA/SCOTT PRUITT/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “Lawyers are digging in for longer and more expensive fights with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. The new posture follows an order by EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt that environmental groups say will complicate settlements when plaintiff lawyers sue the agency for habitually failing to issue regulations on schedule. The directive, released […]
10/20/2017
ENERGY/EPA/SCOTT PRUITT: “The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has backed off a series of proposed changes to the nation’s biofuels policy after a massive backlash from corn-state lawmakers worried the moves would undercut ethanol demand, according to a letter from the agency to lawmakers seen by Reuters. EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt said in the letter dated […]
10/16/2017
EPA/SCOTT PRUITT: “The head of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency issued a directive to his agency on Monday [10-16-17] seeking to end the practice of settling lawsuits with environmental groups behind closed doors, saying the groups have had too much influence on regulation. EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt, who sued the agency he now runs more […]
10/10/2017
EPA/SCOTT PRUITT: “When Scott Pruitt, the administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, signed a blueprint Tuesday [10-10-17] to eliminate a major Obama-era climate change regulation, the text said the agency would at some point consider a new rule to ratchet down greenhouse gas emissions. But those adept at reading between the lines of dense federal […]
9/27/2017
BUDGET/EPA/JUSTICE DEPARTMENT/SCOTT PRUITT: “Scott Pruitt, the Environmental Protection Agency administrator who has aggressively pushed to dismantle regulations and downsize the organization, is threatening to reach outside his agency and undermine the Justice Department’s work enforcing antipollution laws, documents and interviews show. Under Mr. Pruitt, the E.P.A. has quietly said it may cut off a major […]
9/27/2017
EPA/ETHICS/SCOTT PRUITT: “Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Scott Pruitt has taken at least four noncommercial and military flights since mid-February, costing taxpayers more than $58,000 to fly him to various parts of the country, according to records provided to a congressional oversight committee and obtained by The Washington Post… The EPA provided documents that outlined how […]
9/26/2017
EPA/SCOTT PRUITT: “The Environmental Protection Agency has signed a contract for nearly $25,000 to build a soundproof communications booth for the office of the administrator, Scott Pruitt. The contract, with Acoustical Solutions in Richmond, Va., was first reported by The Washington Post. It calls for the construction of a $24,570 ‘privacy booth’ for Mr. Pruitt’s […]
8/31/2017
DEMS/EPA/SCOTT PRUITT: “Democratic state officials blasted the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency on Thursday [8-31-17] for telling governors in what they describe as a ‘legally incorrect’ letter in March that they do not need to comply with a major climate change regulation. Fourteen Democratic attorneys general and officials from six cities and counties said the guidance […]
8/28/2017
EPA/ETHICS/SCOTT PRUITT: “The frequent travels of the head of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Scott Pruitt, to Oklahoma will be investigated following congressional requests, the agency’s Office of Inspector General said on Monday [8-28-17]. Pruitt’s many travels to his home state have fueled speculation that he intends to run for the U.S. Senate from Oklahoma… […]
8/18/2017
EPA/SCOTT PRUITT: “In the weeks before the Environmental Protection Agency decided to reject its own scientists’ advice to ban a potentially harmful pesticide, Scott Pruitt, the agency’s head, promised farming industry executives who wanted to keep using the pesticide that it is ‘a new day, and a new future,’ and that he was listening to […]
8/3/2017
CLIMATE CHANGE/EPA/SCOTT PRUITT/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “The Trump administration said late Wednesday [8-2-17] that it would not delay an Obama-era regulation on smog-forming pollutants from smokestacks and tailpipes, a move that environmental groups hailed as a victory. The Environmental Protection Agency decision came a day after 16 state attorneys general, all Democrats, filed a lawsuit challenging […]
7/25/2017
BUDGET/EPA/SCOTT PRUITT/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “President Donald Trump’s administration is moving ahead with a plan to accelerate the rehabilitation of Superfund sites, polluted locations designated by the government for long-term cleanup projects. Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Scott Pruitt on Tuesday [7-25-17] signed off on recommendations from a task force that will accelerate cleanup efforts to reduce […]
7/24/2017
EPA/TRUMP PEOPLE/SCOTT PRUITT: “Scott Pruitt, the head of the Environmental Protection Agency, traveled to his home state, Oklahoma, 10 times over three months this year, largely at taxpayer expense, according to a report released Monday [7-24-17]. The findings from the Environmental Integrity Project, a nonprofit group founded by former E.P.A. officials, are drawn from Mr. […]
7/18/2017
EPA/ETHICS/TRUMP PEOPLE/SCOTT PRUITT: “A Democratic member of the U.S. Senate committee that conducted confirmation hearings for Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Scott Pruitt said in a letter Tuesday [7-18-17] that Oklahoma’s former attorney general presented ‘inconsistent and contradictory statements’ to the panel. Pruitt’s ‘misleading answers, evasiveness, and stonewalling’ had stymied the committee’s ability to provide oversight […]
7/11/2017
CLIMATE CHANGE/EPA/TRUMP PEOPLE/SCOTT PRUITT: “The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is in the early stages of launching a debate about climate change that could air on television – challenging scientists to prove the widespread view that global warming is a serious threat, the head of the agency said. The move comes as the administration of President […]
7/1/2017
EPA/OBAMA/TRUMP PEOPLE/SCOTT PRUITT: “In the four months since he took office as the Environmental Protection Agency’s administrator, Scott Pruitt has moved to undo, delay or otherwise block more than 30 environmental rules, a regulatory rollback larger in scope than any other over so short a time in the agency’s 47-year history, according to experts in […]
6/21/2017
EPA/TRUMP PEOPLE/SCOTT PRUITT: “U.S. Democratic lawmakers asked Environmental Protection Agency head Scott Pruitt on Wednesday [6-21-17] to disclose procedures to prevent billionaire Carl Icahn from influencing U.S. biofuels policy for personal gain. The letter is the latest in a string of missives from Democrats concerned about Icahn’s dual role as a special adviser to President […]
6/12/2017
EPA/FOREIGN POLICY/TRUMP PEOPLE/SCOTT PRUITT: “The Trump administration’s top environment official left a meeting with international counterparts early, boarding a plane home to tell President Donald Trump the US position was ‘received well.’ ‘I actually arrived back this morning at 1 o’clock from Italy, the G7 focused on the environment,’ Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Scott Pruitt […]
6/6/2017
EPA/JOBS/TRUMP PEOPLE/SCOTT PRUITT: “The Environmental Protection Agency head said that the ‘coal sector’ added 7,000 jobs in May and ‘almost 50,000 jobs’ since the fourth quarter of last year. But the Bureau of Labor Statistics reports an increase of just 400 coal mining jobs in May and 1,300 since December. EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt made […]
6/3/2017
CLIMATE CHANGE/EPA/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT/TRUMP PEOPLE/SCOTT PRUITT: “Despite announcing plans to pull out of the Paris climate accord, President Donald Trump’s language and that of his EPA administrator, Scott Pruitt, seem at odds with the actions he proposes taking. ‘We will be environmentally friendly,’ the President reassured. The next day, Trump’s Environmental Protection Agency administrator stood […]
6/1/2017
CLIMATE CHANGE/EPA/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT/TRUMP PEOPLE/SCOTT PRUITT: “Environmental Protection Agency head Scott Pruitt on Thursday [6-1-17] would not say whether President Donald Trump still considers climate change a ‘hoax.’ When flatly asked by CNN’s Jake Tapper, ‘Does the President believe climate change is a hoax?’ the EPA administrator responded: ‘This is not about whether climate change […]
5/15/2017
EPA/TRUMP PEOPLE/SCOTT PRUITT: “Some of the most compelling evidence linking a widely used pesticide to developmental problems in children stems from what scientists call a ‘natural’ experiment. Though in this case, there was nothing natural about it. Chlorpyrifos (pronounced klor-PYE-ruh-fahs) had been used to control bugs in homes and fields for decades when researchers at […]
5/7/2017
CABINET/EPA/TRUMP PEOPLE/SCOTT PRUITT: “The Environmental Protection Agency has dismissed at least five members of a major scientific review board, the latest signal of what critics call a campaign by the Trump administration to shrink the agency’s regulatory reach by reducing the role of academic research. A spokesman for the E.P.A. administrator, Scott Pruitt, said he […]
4/20/2017
CONFLICT OF INTEREST/EPA/TRUMP PEOPLE/SCOTT PRUITT: “Dow Chemical is pushing a Trump administration that’s open to scrapping regulations to ignore the findings of federal scientists who point to a family of widely used pesticides as harmful to about 1,800 critically threatened or endangered species. Lawyers representing Dow, whose CEO is a close adviser to President Donald […]
04/03/2017
CABINET/EPA/TRUMP PEOPLE/SCOTT PRUITT: “Any expectation that Scott Pruitt, the new head of the Environmental Protection Agency, would be able to cruise through an appearance on ‘Fox News Sunday’ over the weekend was dashed within about 10 seconds of the interview. …Wallace began grilling Pruitt about an executive order President Trump signed last week to dismantle […]
3/28/2017
CABINET/CLIMATE CHANGE/EPA/OBAMA/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT/TRUMP PEOPLE/SCOTT PRUITT: “Scott Pruitt’s first weeks leading the Environmental Protection Agency have been marked by infighting among competing factions, three sources tell CNN, including a group that believes Pruitt may not go far enough to reshape the agency and pare back regulations. Some conservatives both inside and outside the agency are […]