Scott Pruitt
Newly confirmed interior secretary suppressed information on pesticide risks, documents show
When Secretary of the Interior Ryan Zinke stepped down in January amid multiple ethics probes, his deputy secretary, David Bernhardt, filled in. Now, as the longtime oil and agribusiness lobbyist formally takes the reins at the Interior Department, criticism is mounting over alleged conflicts of interest and government documents indicate that Bernhardt interfered with a key US Fish and Wildlife Service report that detailed the risks pesticides can pose to endangered species.
Democratic senators probe the extent of Koch brothers’ influence on Trump administration policy
As the close ties between fossil fuel billionaires Charles and David Koch and the Trump administration come to light, Democratic senators are demanding answers about how much influence the Koch brothers have had in shaping key federal policies, including the decision to pull the US out of the Paris Agreement and the shrinking of national monuments.
Groups sue EPA over regulatory rollback, saying clean air is ‘at risk’
Once a major polluter becomes subject to the most-stringent regulations, it is always subject to the most stringent regulations, in perpetuity. Now, however, the EPA is rolling back the “once in always in” policy, and environmental activists are alarmed.
Scott Pruitt’s plan would double allowable auto emissions by 2025
EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt wants to roll back fuel efficiency standards developed under President Obama. The decision would increase carbon emissions and pollution nationwide and also sets the stage for a possible legal battle with California, which wants to keep its more stringent standards.
