ICYMI: Fossil Fuel CEOs Spend Thousands to Gain Access at Trump Hotel

According to reporting by E&E, fossil fuel executives from Murray Energy Corp., the American Petroleum Institute, the National Mining Association and more are spending thousands at Trump’s DC hotel -- or what DOE spokeswoman Sara Marie Kinney called “Republican Disneyland.”

From board meetings to receptions, these events often include or even feature the cabinet secretaries these groups lobby.

According to documents obtained via the Sierra Club’s FOIA litigation, Acting EPA Administrator Andrew Wheeler was invited to the American Coalition for Clean Coal Electricity (ACCCE) where Murray Energy Corp. CEO Bob Murray and Heath Lovell, a top spokesman for Alliance Resource Partners LP, were "VIP Arrivals." ACCEE is a trade association that lobbies the White House and EPA on coal and includes Murray Energy and Alliance Resource as members.

In 2017, while Pruitt was still EPA administrator, a Tulsa-based natural gas pipeline company, Williams Cos. Inc., held its 2017 board meeting at Trump International and had Pruitt speak at the meeting.

Also in 2017, Pruitt addressed attendees at the American Petroleum Institute's Executive Committee Board of Directors Dinner. Zinke spoke the following day.

The coal industry trade group, the National Mining Association, held its 2017 board of directors meeting at Trump International where Bernhardt gave a speech.

In response, Sierra Club Federal Policy Director Melinda Pierce released the following statement:

“Fossil fuel lobbyists are stuffing money in Trump's pockets at his own Disneyland even faster than Scott Pruitt could spend taxpayer dollars at actual Disneyland.”