Lauren Lantry, lauren.lantry@sierraclub.org
WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Today, Politico reported that EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt placed Elizabeth Beacham White, the former treasurer of Pruitt's political action committee, in charge of an office that has been slow to release his most sensitive documents. Political interference in the FOIA process is illegal, yet Scott Pruitt has put a political operative in charge of his own transparency efforts, raising serious questions about the process.
The EPA instituted an extra layer of review that has added an unprecedented amount of delay and obstructionism. According to Politico, Pruitt's office has had the slowest response rate of any section of the agency, far exceeding legal deadlines and prompting a massive surge in court challenges.
In response, Matthew Miller, Staff Attorney, Sierra Club, released the following statement:
"This is a transparent attempt to stop transparency. Documents obtained by the FOIA process have revealed scandal after scandal for Pruitt. This revelation raises questions as to whether some of EPA’s review process has focused on self-interested damage control by attempting to hide Pruitt’s unethical tendencies and cozy relationships with polluters, rather than providing the public with the information to which they are lawfully entitled.”
About the Sierra Club
The Sierra Club is America’s largest and most influential grassroots environmental organization, with more than 3 million members and supporters. In addition to helping people from all backgrounds explore nature and our outdoor heritage, 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.