SUBSCRIBE TO OUR FREE NEWSLETTER
Daily news & progressive opinion—funded by the people, not the corporations—delivered straight to your inbox.
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
Scott Pruitt will face House budget hearings this week, where representatives are expected to ask him about his lavish personal spending and conflicts of interest. (Photo: Gage Skidmore/Flickr/cc)
As Corruption Allegations and Federal Probes Pile Up, Green Groups Say Scott Pruitt's Days 'Numbered' at EPA
"He should have been dismissed long ago."
Apr 24, 2018
As Scott Pruitt prepares to unveil his latest proposal aimed at curtailing scientific research, the embattled Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) administrator looks to be ever closer to an ouster as congressional support falls and public outrage over his corruption allegations continues to grow.
"We trust that Scott Pruitt's days of chiseling the taxpayers and pandering to polluters are numbered," said Environmental Working Group (EWG) President Ken Cook in a statement Tuesday. "He should have been dismissed long ago."
Pruitt is the subject of mounting controversy, amid reports that he wasted tens of thousands of taxpayer dollars keeping up a lavish lifestyle, lied about raises he attempted to give staffers, and obtained a sweetheart condo rental deal from an energy lobbyist who he met with to discuss policy last year.
\u201cScott Pruitt:\n\u274cSpent tax dollars on lavish unnecessary expenses.\n\u274cTried to strangle the EPA\u2019s budget.\n\u274cTorn down environmental safeguards.\n\u274cPut industry insiders in key agency positions.\n\u274cStamped out climate science. \n#FirePruitt https://t.co/j6JaCMGpy1\u201d— NRDC \ud83c\udf0e\ud83c\udfe1 (@NRDC \ud83c\udf0e\ud83c\udfe1) 1524578218
As the New York Times detailed last week, there are currently 10 federal inquiries into Pruitt's behavior at the helm of the EPA.
The White House has publicly defended Pruitt in recent weeks, but support among Republicans appears to be eroding, with four Party members now calling for his resignation and three GOP senators demanding hearings on Monday to get to the bottom of the corruption allegations. Pruitt will face House budget hearings this Thursday, where his personal spending and ties to lobbyists are expected to be discussed.
The potential abandonment of Pruitt by his own party comes as he is preparing to unveil new rules that would create new standards limiting the scientific research that can be used to write regulations--a supposed bid for transparency that critics say would block research on issues like the danger of pesticides and pollution.
"What is transparent is the unabashed takeover of EPA leadership by individuals who have demonstrated disinterest in helping communities combat pollution by using the best available science," Andrew Rosenberg of the Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS) told the Washington Post.
The new rules, expected to be announced on Tuesday, are the latest of Pruitt's policy proposals to draw the ire of environmental advocates. The administrator purged independent science advisers from the EPA's advisory boards last year, and has moved to roll back regulations on greenhouse gas emissions and water pollution.
An Urgent Message From Our Co-Founder
Dear Common Dreams reader, The U.S. is on a fast track to authoritarianism like nothing I've ever seen. Meanwhile, corporate news outlets are utterly capitulating to Trump, twisting their coverage to avoid drawing his ire while lining up to stuff cash in his pockets. That's why I believe that Common Dreams is doing the best and most consequential reporting that we've ever done. Our small but mighty team is a progressive reporting powerhouse, covering the news every day that the corporate media never will. Our mission has always been simple: To inform. To inspire. And to ignite change for the common good. Now here's the key piece that I want all our readers to understand: None of this would be possible without your financial support. That's not just some fundraising cliche. It's the absolute and literal truth. We don't accept corporate advertising and never will. We don't have a paywall because we don't think people should be blocked from critical news based on their ability to pay. Everything we do is funded by the donations of readers like you. Will you donate now to help power the nonprofit, independent reporting of Common Dreams? Thank you for being a vital member of our community. Together, we can keep independent journalism alive when it’s needed most. - Craig Brown, Co-founder |
Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.
As Scott Pruitt prepares to unveil his latest proposal aimed at curtailing scientific research, the embattled Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) administrator looks to be ever closer to an ouster as congressional support falls and public outrage over his corruption allegations continues to grow.
"We trust that Scott Pruitt's days of chiseling the taxpayers and pandering to polluters are numbered," said Environmental Working Group (EWG) President Ken Cook in a statement Tuesday. "He should have been dismissed long ago."
Pruitt is the subject of mounting controversy, amid reports that he wasted tens of thousands of taxpayer dollars keeping up a lavish lifestyle, lied about raises he attempted to give staffers, and obtained a sweetheart condo rental deal from an energy lobbyist who he met with to discuss policy last year.
\u201cScott Pruitt:\n\u274cSpent tax dollars on lavish unnecessary expenses.\n\u274cTried to strangle the EPA\u2019s budget.\n\u274cTorn down environmental safeguards.\n\u274cPut industry insiders in key agency positions.\n\u274cStamped out climate science. \n#FirePruitt https://t.co/j6JaCMGpy1\u201d— NRDC \ud83c\udf0e\ud83c\udfe1 (@NRDC \ud83c\udf0e\ud83c\udfe1) 1524578218
As the New York Times detailed last week, there are currently 10 federal inquiries into Pruitt's behavior at the helm of the EPA.
The White House has publicly defended Pruitt in recent weeks, but support among Republicans appears to be eroding, with four Party members now calling for his resignation and three GOP senators demanding hearings on Monday to get to the bottom of the corruption allegations. Pruitt will face House budget hearings this Thursday, where his personal spending and ties to lobbyists are expected to be discussed.
The potential abandonment of Pruitt by his own party comes as he is preparing to unveil new rules that would create new standards limiting the scientific research that can be used to write regulations--a supposed bid for transparency that critics say would block research on issues like the danger of pesticides and pollution.
"What is transparent is the unabashed takeover of EPA leadership by individuals who have demonstrated disinterest in helping communities combat pollution by using the best available science," Andrew Rosenberg of the Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS) told the Washington Post.
The new rules, expected to be announced on Tuesday, are the latest of Pruitt's policy proposals to draw the ire of environmental advocates. The administrator purged independent science advisers from the EPA's advisory boards last year, and has moved to roll back regulations on greenhouse gas emissions and water pollution.
As Scott Pruitt prepares to unveil his latest proposal aimed at curtailing scientific research, the embattled Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) administrator looks to be ever closer to an ouster as congressional support falls and public outrage over his corruption allegations continues to grow.
"We trust that Scott Pruitt's days of chiseling the taxpayers and pandering to polluters are numbered," said Environmental Working Group (EWG) President Ken Cook in a statement Tuesday. "He should have been dismissed long ago."
Pruitt is the subject of mounting controversy, amid reports that he wasted tens of thousands of taxpayer dollars keeping up a lavish lifestyle, lied about raises he attempted to give staffers, and obtained a sweetheart condo rental deal from an energy lobbyist who he met with to discuss policy last year.
\u201cScott Pruitt:\n\u274cSpent tax dollars on lavish unnecessary expenses.\n\u274cTried to strangle the EPA\u2019s budget.\n\u274cTorn down environmental safeguards.\n\u274cPut industry insiders in key agency positions.\n\u274cStamped out climate science. \n#FirePruitt https://t.co/j6JaCMGpy1\u201d— NRDC \ud83c\udf0e\ud83c\udfe1 (@NRDC \ud83c\udf0e\ud83c\udfe1) 1524578218
As the New York Times detailed last week, there are currently 10 federal inquiries into Pruitt's behavior at the helm of the EPA.
The White House has publicly defended Pruitt in recent weeks, but support among Republicans appears to be eroding, with four Party members now calling for his resignation and three GOP senators demanding hearings on Monday to get to the bottom of the corruption allegations. Pruitt will face House budget hearings this Thursday, where his personal spending and ties to lobbyists are expected to be discussed.
The potential abandonment of Pruitt by his own party comes as he is preparing to unveil new rules that would create new standards limiting the scientific research that can be used to write regulations--a supposed bid for transparency that critics say would block research on issues like the danger of pesticides and pollution.
"What is transparent is the unabashed takeover of EPA leadership by individuals who have demonstrated disinterest in helping communities combat pollution by using the best available science," Andrew Rosenberg of the Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS) told the Washington Post.
The new rules, expected to be announced on Tuesday, are the latest of Pruitt's policy proposals to draw the ire of environmental advocates. The administrator purged independent science advisers from the EPA's advisory boards last year, and has moved to roll back regulations on greenhouse gas emissions and water pollution.
We've had enough. The 1% own and operate the corporate media. They are doing everything they can to defend the status quo, squash dissent and protect the wealthy and the powerful. The Common Dreams media model is different. We cover the news that matters to the 99%. Our mission? To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. How? Nonprofit. Independent. Reader-supported. Free to read. Free to republish. Free to share. With no advertising. No paywalls. No selling of your data. Thousands of small donations fund our newsroom and allow us to continue publishing. Can you chip in? We can't do it without you. Thank you.