February 02, 2018
By Justin Wingerter –
An audit that uncovered an alleged conspiracy against the state involving public officials was shown to those officials by then-Attorney General Scott Pruitt in 2014, before Pruitt declined to file charges and prior to Pruitt’s unusual decision to not release the audit.
The former attorney general’s actions have infuriated state investigators, who learned of them several years after the fact, and threaten to shift the outcome of a pending lawsuit. They raise fresh questions about the improper use of taxpayer dollars at a Superfund site and the extent of long-talked-about corruption there.
In June 2014, Pruitt received a letter from Andy Lester, attorney for the Lead-Impacted Communities Relocation Assistance Trust. LICRAT was tasked with purchasing homes in the contaminated towns of Picher and Cardin in Oklahoma’s northeast corner, home to the Tar Creek Superfund site.
In the letter, which was obtained by The Oklahoman, Lester acknowledges receipt of the audit, which has never been released publicly. According to Lester’s letter, investigators concluded there was evidence of a “potential conspiracy against the state” involving the now-defunct Oklahoma Department of Central Services and a contractor hired to remove debris in Picher and Cardin.
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.
