Adam Beitman, adam.beitman@sierraclub.org
Top Trump Air Pollution official Bill Wehrum's resignation comes in no small part due to the scrutiny his corruption and extremism received due to the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA).
STATEMENT FROM SIERRA CLUB CLIMATE POLICY DIRECTOR JOHN COEQUYT:
"Wehrum's corruption may never have come to light with Wheeler's new policy designed to end FOIA as we know it.
"Make no mistake -- the Trump administration is weakening FOIA precisely because transparency laws have revealed numerous embarrassing and even career-ending scandals for Scott Pruitt, Ryan Zinke, Bill Wehrum and others. Rather than change their behavior, Wheeler and his political appointees would rather change the law. We will not let them."
Â
EXAMPLES OF SIERRA CLUB FOIA DOCUMENTS EXPOSING WHERUM
Here are a few examples of how Sierra Club exposed Wehrum through FOIA, revealing why the agency is trying to end FOIA as we know it
1). Using FOIA, Sierra Club documents showed that Wehrum gave a presentation last year at a gathering of some of the most zealous deniers of climate science.
Â
2). A major story in POLITICO revealed Wehrum's ostensibly "legal" corruption as his emails exposed him as the platonic ideal of the revolving door swamp lobbyist.
The story utilized emails obtained by the Sierra Club to show just how deeply compromised Wehrum is on everything related to the Clean Air Act as he pursued his quest of allowing polluters to do whatever they want.
https://www.politico.com/story/2019/02/20/epa-air-pollution-regulations-wehrum-1191258
Â
3). A separate story that was paywalled on Politico Pro used Sierra Club FOIA'd emails and calendars to prove that Wehrum met with his former law firm colleagues for a string of lunches, coffees and other gatherings in the months after joining the agency but did not disclose the meetings on his official calendar, according to documents and interviews.
At the time, Sierra Club commented that, "The line separating Bill Wehrum from his lobbyist friends and their fossil fuel clients does not exist, and this is clear evidence that Wehrum is sloppily trying to cover that fact up. The American people should be gravely concerned, as the outcome of these secret meetings is toxic policy that makes us all sick."
About the Sierra Club
The Sierra Club is America’s largest and most influential grassroots environmental organization, with more than 3.5 million members and supporters. In addition to protecting every person's right to get outdoors and access the healing power of nature, the Sierra Club works to promote clean energy, safeguard the health of our communities, protect wildlife, and preserve our remaining wild places through grassroots activism, public education, lobbying, and legal action. For more information, visit www.sierraclub.org.