Ex-EPA head Scott Pruitt to run for US Senate in Oklahoma
April 15, 2022 GMTOKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Republican Scott Pruitt, the scandal-ridden former head of the Environmental Protection Agency, filed Friday to run for Oklahoma's open U.S. Senate seat, making a return to politics in a state with deep ties to the oil and gas industry.
6 former EPA bosses call for agency reset after election
August 12, 2020 GMTSix former Environmental Protection Agency chiefs called Wednesday for a “reset” at the agency after President Donald Trump’s regulation-chopping, industry-minded first term, backing a detailed plan by former EPA staffers that ranges from renouncing political influence in regulation to boosting WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. Office of Government Ethics is refusing to certify one of the final financial disclosure reports of ex-Environmental Protection Agency chief Scott Pruitt, citing the cut-rate $50-a-night deal Pruitt had for a luxury Washington condo...Ethics body questions ex-EPA chief’s $50-a-night condo deal
March 26, 2019 GMT
EPA rules on issue pitting oil producers, corn farmers
March 12, 2019 GMTWASHINGTON (AP) — The Trump administration is proposing to allow year-round sales of gasoline mixed with 15 percent ethanol, seeking to calm a dispute that has riled two politically important blocs — the oil industry and corn farmers.
Andrew Wheeler promoted to EPA administrator in 52-47 Senate vote
February 28, 2019 GMTAndrew Wheeler was confirmed to head up the Environmental Protection Agency on Thursday after a 52-47 Senate vote that mostly stayed within party lines.
A former coal industry lobbyist, Mr. Wheeler was promoted from his position of acting director with Republicans supporting and Democrats opposing him.
The Latest: Dem says EPA’s Wheeler ‘as extreme’ as Pruitt
January 16, 2019 GMTWASHINGTON (AP) — The Latest on acting Environmental Protection Agency chief Andrew Wheeler (all times local):
10:32 a.m.
A top Senate Democrat is describing President Donald Trump's nominee to lead the Environmental Protection Agency as "just as extreme" as his predecessor.
Fox disciplines employees who set up Trump aide appearance
November 28, 2018 GMTNEW YORK (AP) — Fox News Channel said Tuesday that it is disciplining employees involved in an email exchange with an aide to President Trump's former EPA administrator Scott Pruitt to craft a "Fox & Friends" interview with the environmental chief last year...
Andrew Wheeler will be Trump’s nominee as permanent head of EPA
November 16, 2018 GMTAndrew Wheeler will be nominated to permanently lead the Environmental Protection Agency, President Trump said Friday.
Mr. Trump made the announcement at an East Room ceremony where Mr. Wheeler, 53, was in attendance.
Ousted EPA head Pruitt denies getting improper gifts, income
September 12, 2018 GMTWASHINGTON (AP) — Scott Pruitt, the scandal-ridden former Environmental Protection Agency chief, denied on Wednesday that he had obtained any out-of-the-ordinary gifts as a result of his Cabinet-level post, dismissing allegations he received perks in office ranging from much-sought sport tickets to a job for his wife.
EPA watchdog faults Pruitt’s $3.5 million security costs
September 4, 2018 GMTWASHINGTON (AP) — The Environmental Protection Agency failed to document any threats or security risks that warranted spending more than $3...
Appeals court tells EPA to stop sales of harmful pesticide
August 10, 2018 GMTWASHINGTON (AP) — A federal appeals court has ruled that the Trump administration endangered public health by keeping a widely used pesticide on the market despite extensive scientific evidence that even tiny levels of exposure can harm babies' brains...
Court orders ban on harmful pesticide, says EPA violated law
August 10, 2018 GMTWASHINGTON (AP) — A federal appeals court ruled Thursday that the Trump administration endangered public health by keeping a widely used pesticide on the market despite extensive scientific evidence that even tiny levels of exposure can harm babies' brains...
Report: ‘Law and order’ Trump soft on corporate offenders
July 25, 2018 GMTWASHINGTON (AP) — While Donald Trump has positioned himself as a tough, "law and order" president, he has mostly excluded one group of offenders from his sights: those of the corporate class, according to a report released Wednesday by Washington-based watchdog Public Citizen...
EPA’s Pruitt broke law with $43,000 phone booth: Report
July 7, 2018 GMTEnvironmental Protection Agency Administrator Scott Pruitt broke the law by building a soundproof $43,000 phone booth in his office and not telling lawmakers about it, a government watchdog said Monday in a report that calls on the agency to immediately acknowledge that it violated federal statutes.
EPA’s relief and worries after scandal-plagued chief’s exit
July 7, 2018 GMTWASHINGTON (AP) — Taking over from an ambitious predecessor known for seeking out the rich, powerful and conservative, the Environmental Protection Agency's newly named acting chief has promised to reach out to anxious staffers throughout the demoralized agency and to lawmakers of both political parties...
Worry and relief at EPA after scandal-plagued chief’s exit
July 6, 2018 GMTWASHINGTON (AP) — Taking over from an ambitious predecessor known for seeking out the rich, powerful and conservative, the Environmental Protection Agency's newly named acting chief has promised to reach out to anxious staffers throughout the demoralized agency and to lawmakers of both political parties...
EPA’s new boss unlikely to change Trump environmental policy
July 6, 2018 GMTWASHINGTON (AP) — Different administrator, same policies.
Andrew Wheeler, the former coal lobbyist who takes over Monday as acting head of the Environmental Protection Agency, doesn't have the high profile of Scott Pruitt, who resigned Thursday amid ethics scandals...
Pruitt is out, handing EPA reins to former coal lobbyist
July 6, 2018 GMTWASHINGTON (AP) — Bowing out after months of scandals, Scott Pruitt is turning the Environmental Protection Agency over to a far less flashy deputy who is expected to continue Pruitt's rule-cutting, business-friendly ways as steward of the country's environment...
EPA rollbacks already touching Americans’ lives
July 6, 2018 GMTWASHINGTON (AP) — For 37 mostly female farm-workers in California's Central Valley, U.S. policy under Environmental Protection Agency chief Scott Pruitt became personal not long after sunup one day in May 2017.
Life in Trump’s Cabinet: Putdowns, perks, and power
July 6, 2018 GMTWASHINGTON (AP) — Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross came in for an Oval Office tongue-lashing after he used a mundane soup can as a TV prop...
Life in Trump’s Cabinet: Perks, pestering, power, putdowns
July 6, 2018 GMTWASHINGTON (AP) — Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross came in for an Oval Office tongue-lashing after he used a mundane soup can as a TV prop...
Scandal-plagued EPA Administrator Pruitt resigns
July 6, 2018 GMTWASHINGTON (AP) — Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Scott Pruitt resigned Thursday amid ethics investigations of outsized security spending, first-class flights and a sweetheart condo lease...
Americans already living EPA rollbacks under Pruitt
July 6, 2018 GMTWASHINGTON (AP) — For 37 mostly female farm-workers in California's Central Valley, U.S. policy under Environmental Protection Agency chief Scott Pruitt became personal not long after sunup one day in May 2017...
The Latest: EPA chief Pruitt resigns amid ethics scandals
July 6, 2018 GMTWASHINGTON (AP) — The Latest on the resignation of Environmental Protection Agency chief Scott Pruitt (all times local):...
GOP senator defends EPA chief, calls ethics allegations lies
June 20, 2018 GMTWASHINGTON (AP) — A Republican senator who had expressed concerns about Environmental Protection Agency chief Scott Pruitt mounted an outspoken defense of him Wednesday after a face-to-face meeting, calling ethics allegations against Pruitt "outrageous lies...
Farmers in Trump country protest Pruitt’s ethanol policies
June 15, 2018 GMTMINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Deep in the heart of Trump country, Environmental Protection Agency chief Scott Pruitt is being met with protests by farmers and ethanol producers concerned that he is undermining the industry with his strong support of oil and gas...
Judge rules EPA failing to curb pollution blowing east
June 13, 2018 GMTHARTFORD, Conn. (AP) — A federal judge in New York has ruled that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has violated the federal Clean Air Act by failing to curb ozone air pollution that blows into Connecticut and New York from the west...
Trump-G7 chafing, Pruitt moisturizing: Darcy cartoon
June 10, 2018 GMTTrump-G7 chafing, Pruitt moisturizing: Darcy cartoon
CLEVELAND, Ohio -- President Trump arrived late and left early from the Quebec G7 Summit he didn't want to attend.
Trump left the summit early to head for his Singapore summit with Kim Jong Un. And he may have also left early to pick up some moisturizer from the Ritz Carlton Hotel in Montreal and a used mattress from the former Trump International Hotel in Toronto for Scott Pruitt.
Dem lawmakers seek criminal corruption probe of EPA’s Pruitt
June 8, 2018 GMTWASHINGTON (AP) — House Democrats on Friday formally requested that the Justice Department investigate Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Scott Pruitt for potential criminal conduct...
EPA head laughs off Chick-fil-A questions; senior aide quits
June 6, 2018 GMTWASHINGTON (AP) — Environmental Protection Agency chief Scott Pruitt laughed off questions Wednesday about whether he used his office to try to help his wife get a "business opportunity" with Chick-fil-A, while a close aide abruptly resigned amid new ethics allegations against her boss.
The Latest: Trump hails EPA chief despite scandals
June 6, 2018 GMTWASHINGTON (AP) — The Latest on Environmental Protection Agency chief Scott Pruitt (all times local):...
Aide: EPA’s Pruitt sought used Trump hotel mattress
June 4, 2018 GMTWASHINGTON (AP) — Environmental Protection Agency chief Scott Pruitt had a top aide seek a used mattress from the Trump International Hotel and perform other personal chores for him, including house-hunting and booking personal travel to a football game, according to testimony released Monday...
Lobbyist tied to EPA chief’s condo tried to influence agency
June 2, 2018 GMTWASHINGTON (AP) — Newly filed reports show the Washington lobbyist linked to a bargain-priced Capitol Hill condo leased by Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Scott Pruitt had far more contact with the agency than previously disclosed, despite repeated denials by both men...
Ex-chemical industry lawyer to lead Superfund task force
June 2, 2018 GMTWASHINGTON (AP) — A lawyer tapped to lead a task force at the Environmental Protection Agency overseeing cleanups at the nation's most polluted places worked until recently for a top chemical and plastics manufacturer with a troubled legacy of creating some of those toxic sites...
Ex-chemical industry lawyer to lead Superfund task force
June 1, 2018 GMTWASHINGTON (AP) — A lawyer tapped to lead a task force at the Environmental Protection Agency overseeing cleanups at the nation's most polluted places worked until recently for a top chemical and plastics manufacturer with a troubled legacy of creating some of those toxic sites...
Emails show cooperation among EPA, climate-change deniers
May 26, 2018 GMTWASHINGTON (AP) — Newly released emails show senior Environmental Protection Agency officials working closely with a conservative group that dismisses climate change to rally like-minded people for public hearings on science and global warming, counter negative news coverage and promote Administrator Scott Pruitt's stewardship of the agency...
Emails show EPA working closely with climate-change deniers
May 26, 2018 GMTWASHINGTON (AP) — Senior Environmental Protection Agency officials have been working closely with a conservative group that dismisses climate change to rally like-minded people for public hearings on science and global warming...
Emails show cooperation among EPA, climate-change deniers
May 26, 2018 GMTWASHINGTON (AP) — Newly released emails show senior Environmental Protection Agency officials working closely with a conservative group that dismisses climate change to rally like-minded people for public hearings on science and global warming, counter negative news coverage and tout Administrator Scott Pruitt's stewardship of the agency...
The Latest: EPA bars AP, CNN from summit on contaminants
May 22, 2018 GMTWASHINGTON (AP) — The Latest on a hearing with EPA chief Scott Pruitt on a widespread contaminant in drinking water (all times local):...
AP FACT CHECK: Trump and the Washington blame game
May 19, 2018 GMTWASHINGTON (AP) — Deflect blame for the bad things. Take undue credit for the good things.
When President Donald Trump and his environmental chief sat down with different audiences this past week, the blame game was on display...
AP FACT CHECK: EPA’s Pruitt and his bargain condo deal
May 17, 2018 GMTWASHINGTON (AP) — Environmental Protection Agency chief Scott Pruitt has falsely claimed that a man who was listed as the landlord of a bargain-priced condo Pruitt rented in Washington last year was not a lobbyist at the time...
Trump wants negotiations with California on auto gas mileage
May 12, 2018 GMTWASHINGTON (AP) — Addressing a key concern for manufacturers, President Donald Trump has instructed his administration to explore negotiations with California on achieving a single fuel economy standard for the nation during a meeting with auto industry executives...
Trump open to negotiations with Calif. on auto gas mileage
May 11, 2018 GMTWASHINGTON (AP) — Addressing a key concern for manufacturers, President Donald Trump instructed his administration to explore negotiations with California on achieving a single fuel economy standard for the nation during a meeting with auto industry executives Friday...
Commentator Hugh Hewitt told not to report on Pruitt
May 9, 2018 GMTNEW YORK (AP) — The Washington Post has told columnist Hugh Hewitt not to write about Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Scott Pruitt after it was revealed that Hewitt helped arrange a meeting with the EPA chief and lawyers interested in cleaning pollution in California...
Memo: Pruitt landlord’s husband sought EPA work for client
May 2, 2018 GMTWASHINGTON (AP) — The lobbyist whose wife rented a condo to Environmental Protection Agency head Scott Pruitt at $50 a night sought EPA committee posts for a lobbying client, according to a newly released EPA memo...
EPA security chief, Superfund head leave amid ethics probes
May 2, 2018 GMTWASHINGTON (AP) — The two top officials in charge of security and toxic-waste cleanups at the Environmental Protection Agency have abruptly left their jobs, days after EPA administrator Scott Pruitt told lawmakers that his subordinates were to blame for alleged ethical lapses that have prompted more than a dozen federal investigations of the agency...
AP FACT CHECK: Pruitt takes credit for Obama-era cleanups
April 27, 2018 GMTWASHINGTON (AP) — Scott Pruitt has something to boast about when it comes to the Environmental Protection Agency's record on cleaning up toxic sites since he took over the agency. But it's a boast only made possible by achievements of the Obama administration.
At hearings, EPA chief seeks to divert blame for ethics woes
April 26, 2018 GMTWASHINGTON (AP) — Environmental Protection Agency chief Scott Pruitt, yet another Trump administration official with his job on the line over ethical concerns, took heat from lawmakers Thursday over his profligate spending and lobbyist ties and tried to divert responsibility to underlings...
10 Things to Know for Today
April 26, 2018 GMTYour daily look at late-breaking news, upcoming events and the stories that will be talked about today:...
Pruitt reassigned lawmen as drivers, bodyguards in Oklahoma
April 20, 2018 GMTOKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — As Oklahoma's attorney general, Scott Pruitt assigned investigations agents from his office to be his driver and bodyguard, at times taking them on his frequent trips out of state to speak to conservative political organizations, state records show...
Scott Walker states ‘unequivocally’ he won’t take White House job
April 17, 2018 GMTGov. Scott Walker stated unequivocally Monday he won't take a job in the White House this term or if he's re-elected in November.
"I can unequivocally tell you without hesitation I will never willingly leave the role as governor through this next coming term," Walker said.
GAO says EPA violated spending law on Pruitt’s privacy booth
April 16, 2018 GMTWASHINGTON (AP) — An internal government watchdog says the Environmental Protection Agency violated federal spending laws when purchasing a $43,000 soundproof privacy booth for Administrator Scott Pruitt to make private phone calls in his office...
GOP-led Senate poised to make ex-coal lobbyist EPA’s No. 2
April 11, 2018 GMTWASHINGTON (AP) — Senate Republicans are moving to confirm a former coal industry lobbyist as the second highest ranking official at the Environmental Protection Agency, putting him next in line if embattled administrator Scott Pruitt is forced to resign or is fired...
Security for EPA chief comes at a steep cost to taxpayers
April 8, 2018 GMTWASHINGTON (AP) — Environmental Protection Agency chief Scott Pruitt's concern with his safety came at a steep cost to taxpayers as his swollen security detail blew through overtime budgets and at times diverted officers away from investigating environmental crimes...
Chicago Tribune: Scott Pruitt’s bad judgement
April 7, 2018 GMTUnder 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.
EPA chief fights for his job in meeting with Trump
April 7, 2018 GMTWASHINGTON (AP) — Environmental Protection Agency administrator Scott Pruitt has met with President Donald Trump to make his case for why he should remain in his post amid a stream of questions about his ethical standing...
AP sources: EPA chief spent millions on security and travel
April 7, 2018 GMTWASHINGTON (AP) — Environmental Protection Agency chief Scott Pruitt's concern with his safety came at a steep cost to taxpayers as his swollen security detail blew through overtime budgets and at times diverted officers away from investigating environmental crimes...
EPA head fights for his job in meeting with Trump
April 7, 2018 GMTWASHINGTON (AP) — Embattled Environmental Protection Agency administrator Scott Pruitt met with President Donald Trump on Friday to lay out his case for why he should remain in his post amid a stream of questions about his ethical standing...
Gina McCarthy, former EPA head: Scott Pruitt needs to be more concerned about the environment
April 6, 2018 GMTFormer Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Gina McCarthy said Friday that Scott Pruitt needs to be more concerned about the environment and not just business.
"The only thing Scott Pruitt talks about or seems to consider is whether or not it's reducing the cost of business," Ms.