Senate Must Review Thousands of Missing Emails between EPA Nominee Scott Pruitt and Fossil Fuel Industry before Confirmation Vote

WASHINGTON – A state judge in Oklahoma ordered the release of thousands of illegally withheld records pertaining to Pruitt’s ties to fossil fuel interests. The records will not be available until Tuesday, after the Senate is scheduled to vote on Pruitt’s nomination to be EPA Administrator later today.

In light of this new information, the Campaign Legal Center (CLC) calls on the Senate to delay the vote. The emails are important to determine the extent of Pruitt’s conflicts of interest with oil and gas companies. He initiated or filed briefs in at least 26 lawsuits against the EPA, nine of which are ongoing.

“In the interest of transparency, the public has a right to know the extent of Pruitt’s conflicts of interest,” said Larry Noble, general counsel of the Campaign Legal Center. “These emails will help determine if Pruitt can impartially rule as Administrator on lawsuits he brought as Attorney General of Oklahoma. The withheld emails may shine additional light on ethical conflicts facing Pruitt and his role in the lawsuits against the agency he now seeks to lead. The Senate should have a chance to review these emails before confirming him to assess whether Pruitt can be an impartial EPA Administrator in suits that he spearheaded.”

In January, CLC filed a letter calling on Pruitt to recuse himself from the multiple lawsuits he brought against the agency as Attorney General of Oklahoma due to the serious conflicts of interest posed by playing both sides of a legal case.

Read our letter