Pruitt’s EPA decisions should be suspended until corruption investigations are complete

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Senator Merkley (D-OR) and Representative Connolly (D-VA) introduced House and Senate versions of the Ensuring Pruitt is Accountable Act of 2018 this afternoon. The legislation would suspend rulemakings initiated under ex-EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt until after the Inspector General investigations into his conduct are complete.

The legislation is supported by 14 environmental groups, who endorsed the bills in a letter to lawmakers.

Lukas Ross, Senior Policy Analyst at Friends of the Earth, issued the following statement in response:

As Andrew Wheeler prepares to face the Senate for the first time as acting Administrator, he must reckon with the unprecedented damage inflicted on the EPA by his predecessor. Every piece of policy Scott Pruitt touched must be frozen in its tracks. Pruitt may be gone, but his toxic corruption at the EPA will live on if Congress fails to act. We thank Senator Merkley and Representative Connolly for their leadership in restoring public confidence in the EPA.

Expert contact: Lukas Ross, (202) 222-0724, [email protected]
Communications contact: Erin Jensen, (202) 222-0722, [email protected]