WASHINGTON – Environmental Protection Agency chief Scott Pruitt's schedule reveals a troublingly cozy relationship with top executives and lobbyists for big coal, mining, chemical and oil companies, but scorn for public interest organizations, said EWG President Ken Cook.
Documents detailing Pruitt's schedule were obtained by American Oversight and first reported by the New York Times. They show that between February and May, he held regular meetings at the EPA and in expensive restaurants in Washington, D.C., with executives or lobbyists for General Motors, Shell Oil and chemical manufacturer Chemours, among others.
Pruitt also attended a number of industry-sponsored conferences at expensive golf resorts in Phoenix; Colorado Springs, Colo.; and Naples, Fla. In contrast, the number of meetings Pruitt held with representatives of environmental and public health organizations could be counted on one hand.
“Apparently there’s nothing quite like lunch at a pricey restaurant with corporate polluters, or a luxe round of golf with the fossil fuel lobby, to put a person in the mood to relax and unwind environmental protections,” said Cook. “Scott Pruitt seems to spend more time with caddies and maître d’s than he spends with EPA scientists."
Photo courtesy of Gage Skidmore via Flickr.com
