PublicChronicle.com

(Feb. 23, 2017 2:20 p.m.) — The recent swearing in of Scott Pruitt as the Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Friday came days before a court ordered release of more than 7,500 pages of communications between Pruitt and related fossil fuel industry interests. Also Friday, Pruitt submitted his resignation as attorney general to Oklahoma Gov. Mary Fallin.

The controversy surrounding Pruitt’s close ties and collaboration with the gas and oil industry while he was the Attorney General for the State of Oklahoma appears not to be receding and continues to follow him as he leaves the OAG and assumes his new post as head of the EPA.

Now that the records have been released, news outlets are combing through the records to search for smoking-gun style evidence to show Pruitt’s inappropriate relationship with an industry he will now be responsible for regulating.

The Intercept has reported they have found the communications between Pruitt and the gas and oil industry pertained to “at least one rule affecting utility rates.” 

Pruitt while the State of Oklahoma Attorney General at the time, stonewalled for years the Center for Media and Democracy (CMD) multiple public records requests.

The CMD then filed a lawsuit against the OAG’s office seeking to compel Pruitt to produce the related documents.

According to information posted on the ACLU of Oklahoma’s website:

The CMD Filed seven records requests with Pruitt’s office in 2015 and 2016, and another two requests last month, seeking communications with Koch Industries and other coal, oil and gas corporations, as well as the corporate-funded Republican Attorney General’s Association (RAGA). Pruitt has yet to turn over a single document, despite acknowledging in August 2016 that his office has 3,000 emails and other documents relevant to CMD’s first request in January 2015.

According to the CMD, documents released Tuesday night revealed:

• The oil and gas lobby group American Fuel & Petrochemical Manufacturers (AFPM) coordinated opposition in 2013 to both the Renewable Fuel Standard Program and ozone limits with Pruitt’s office. While AFPM was making its own case against the RFS with the American Petroleum Institute, it provided Pruitt with a template language for an Oklahoma petition, noting “this argument is more credible coming from a State.” Later that year, Pruitt did file opposition to both the RFS and ozone limits.

• In a groundbreaking New York Times Pulitzer winning series in 2014, Eric Lipton exposed the close relationship between Devon Energy and Scott Pruitt, and highlighted examples where Devon Energy drafted letters that were sent by Pruitt under his own name. These new emails reveal more of the same close relationship with Devon Energy. In one email, Devon Energy helped draft language that was later sent by Pruitt to the EPA about the limiting of methane from oil and gas fracking.

• In 2013, Devon Energy organized a meeting between Scott Pruitt, Leonard Leo of the Federalist Society and coal industry lawyer Paul Seby to plan the creation of a “clearinghouse” that would “assist AGs in addressing federalism issues.” Melissa Houston, then Pruitt’s chief of staff emailed Devon Energy saying “this will be an amazing resource for the AGs and for industry.”

In addition, Nick Surgey, the research director at the Center for Media and Democracy in a statement said, “The newly released emails reveal a close and friendly relationship between Scott Pruitt’s office and the fossil fuel industry, with frequent meetings, calls, dinners and other events. And our work doesn’t stop here – we will keep fighting until all of the public records involving Pruitt’s dealings with energy corporations are released – both those for which his office is now asserting some sort of privilege against public disclosure and the documents relevant to our eight other Open Records Act requests.”

Without batting an eye, the West Virginia Coal Association has been unabashed at scrutinizing the Obama Administrations regulations, while also praising Pruitt’s ascension to EPA head.

West Virginia Coal Association tweet dated Feb. 16, 2017:

West Virginia Coal Association tweet dated Feb. 18, 2017:

The CMD has posted many of the released documents online, many of which are emails and other communications revealing a hidden side of the OAG’s Office. 

A number of documents were withheld from this week’s release, others were redacted as well. These documents have been submitted to Judge Aletia Haynes Timmons handling the case styled Center for Media and Democracy, a Wisconsin corporation, Plaintiff, v. Scott Pruitt, in his official capacity as Attorney General of the State of Oklahoma, Defendant.

District Court of Oklahoma County, State of Oklahoma, Case No. CV-17-223.

Attorneys in the case:

Attorneys for Plaintiff,
Center for Media and Democracy

Robert D. Nelon, OBA #6610
Black Lawrence, OBA #30620
Hall, Estill, Hardwick, Gable, Golden & Nelson, P.C.
100 North Broadway, Suite 2900
Oklahoma City, OK 73102-8865
Telephone: (405) 553-2828
Facsimile: (405) 553-2855

and

Brady R. Henderson, OBA #21212
ACLU of Oklahoma Foundation
3000 Paseo Drive
Oklahoma City, OK 73103
Telephone (405) 524-8511 / Facsimile (405) 524-2296

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Attorneys for the Defendant,
Attorney General of the state of Oklahoma

Jeb E. Josephe, OBA #19137
Charles Dickson, III, OBA #17941
Oklahoma Attorney General’s Office
313 NE 21st Street
Oklahoma City, OK 73105
Telephone (405) 521-3921
Facsimile (405) 521-6246

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References:

1. Feb. 22, 2017 – Emails Reveal EPA Chief Scott Pruitt’s Dirty Dealings with Oil and Gas Industry by Alleen Brown and Sharon Lerner. (TheIntercept.com); 
2. Feb. 22, 2017 – Scott Pruitt’s Emails Show His Fossil Fuel Industry Ties by Exposed by CMD Staff,  Center for Media and Democracy. (TulsaWorld.com); 
3. Feb. 22, 2017 – Oklahoma AG Releases 7,564 Pages in Response to CMD Request by Explosed by CMD Editors,  Center for Media and Democracy. (ExplosedbyCMD.org); and
4.  Feb. 17, 2017 – What It Looks Like When A President Fails by Rachel Maddow.  MSNBC (YouTube Channel).
5. Dec. 6, 2014 – Energy Firms in Secretive Alliance With Attorneys General by Eric Lipton, The New York Times (NYTimes.com).

 

 

 

Overview

1. Feb. 2, 2017 – Lawsuit Filed Against Trump Nominee Scott Pruitt for Denying Public Access to Polluter Emails  by Bryan Newell. ACLU of Oklahoma (ACLUOK.org).

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Documents

1. Documentcloud.org – “Pruitt Simmons” search URL request link.

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Other

ACLU of Oklahoma

From website ACLUOK.org:

The American Civil Liberties Union of Oklahoma is a nonprofit, non-partisan, privately funded organization devoted exclusively to the defense and promotion of the individual rights secured by the U.S. and Oklahoma constitutions.

Center for Media and Democracy

From website ExposedbyCMD.org:

The Center for Media and Democracy is a national watchdog group that conducts in-depth investigations into corruption and the undue influence of corporations on media and democracy.

MSNBC

From description MSNBC YouTube Channel:

MSNBC is the premier destination for in-depth analysis of daily headlines, insightful political commentary and informed perspectives. Reaching more than 95 million households worldwide, MSNBC offers a full schedule of live news coverage, political opinions and award-winning documentary programming — 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

The Intercept

From website TheIntercept.com:

The Intercept is dedicated to producing fearless, adversarial journalism. We believe journalism should bring transparency and accountability to powerful governmental and corporate institutions, and our journalists have the editorial freedom and legal support to pursue this mission.

Tulsa World Media

From website TulsaWorld.com:

Tulsa World Media Company owns a suite of brands that serve as the preeminent sources of news and information for northeast Oklahoma. Our brands include Tulsa World, tulsaworld.com, the Broken Arrow Ledger, the Owasso Reporter, Tulsa World Classifieds, World Extra, OKPrepsExtra.com and more. Tulsa World Media Company is a part of BH Media Group, a Berkshire Hathaway Company.

We serve the communities in northeast Oklahoma by providing trusted news and information to readers and viewers while helping businesses reach customers using traditional and innovative marketing solutions.

West Virginia Coal Association (WVCoal)

From website WVCoal.com:

Located in Charleston, W.Va., the West Virginia Coal Association is a trade association representing more than 90 percent of the state’s underground and surface coal mine production. Its purpose is to have a unified voice representing the state’s coal industry as well as increase emphasis on coal as a reliable energy source to help the nation achieve energy independence.

From twitter @WV_coal1:

We are the largest state coal association in the nation, representing the second largest coal producing state in the nation.