March 30, 2018
By the Editorial Board –
Under Scott Pruitt’s leadership, EPA stands for Ethical Problems Abound. Or is it Ethical Practices Avoided? Either way, the administrator of what’s otherwise known as the Environmental Protection Agency got a sweet deal last year on a living space in Washington, D.C., for which he now should answer. According to ABC News and Bloomberg, Pruitt rented a bedroom in a Capitol Hill duplex for $50 a night. The building is co-owned by Vicki Hart, a health care lobbyist. She is married to J. Steven Hart, a lobbyist whose firm represents clients in the energy sector among other industries. Pruitt paid only for nights he used the room, thus avoiding the cost of a full-time rental. Like we said, a sweet deal.
Pruitt is the government official who faced scrutiny for flying first-class on short domestic flights and spending $25,000 on a soundproof communications booth for his office. He has no issue spending taxpayer money, but for short-term living arrangements last year he turned to friends whose livelihoods depend on government access. It’s not hard to imagine the Harts being generous to Pruitt and then bragging to clients just how tight they are with a member of President Donald Trump’s Cabinet.
The mission of the Environmental Protection Agency is “to protect human health and the environment.” Disgraced EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt tried his best to undermine this vital mission by choosing to slash critical health protections and let corporate polluters off the hook. Now that Pruitt’s been booted, we need an EPA administrator dedicated to undoing his toxic agenda and restoring the agency to its core mission. Progress is possible and necessary – but another corporate crony or climate skeptic will not get us there.
Scott Pruitt is gone, but the fight is just beginning. We need an EPA administrator who puts our health and environment first, period. Any alternative is unacceptable.
