Scott Pruitt actively recruited oilmen for EPA jobs


Environmental Protection Agency chief Scott Pruitt, who is embroiled in multiple investigations into his ethics and spending, apparently made a "plea" to executives at the American Petroleum Institute last year to submit candidates for open EPA positions, BuzzFeed News reports. Pruitt's eyebrow-raising call came just a month after he started leading the agency, with the manager of federal government affairs at the oil company ConocoPhillips writing to an EPA aide in March 2017: "I understand that Administrator Pruitt met with the API executives last week and he made a plea for candidates to fill some of the regional director positions within the agency. One of our employees has expressed interest. He is polishing up his resume. Where does he need to send it?"
The emails were obtained as part of the Sierra Club's Freedom of Information Act request, and they also show that the ConocoPhillips manager, Kevin Avery, eventually emailed the EPA back "offering the resumes of an interested ConocoPhillips employee, as well as an oil industry veteran and personal friend of one of the company's executives," BuzzFeed News writes.
None of these candidates ultimately landed at the EPA, although the Sierra Club's executive director, Michael Brune, expressed outrage that there was ever the possibility in the first place. "This is Scott Pruitt trying to outsource the job to protect our air and water to the exact people responsible for polluting them," he said.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Kim Estes, who was one of the people whose resumes was passed along by Avery, justified his inclusion by arguing that the administration was "looking outside the box."
"I am not in the box at all," Estes, who offers consultations on environmental health and emergency concerns through the Estes Group LLC, told BuzzFeed News. "I'm somebody different. I'm not a Washington, D.C., insider."
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Jeva Lange was the executive editor at TheWeek.com. She formerly served as The Week's deputy editor and culture critic. She is also a contributor to Screen Slate, and her writing has appeared in The New York Daily News, The Awl, Vice, and Gothamist, among other publications. Jeva lives in New York City. Follow her on Twitter.
-
June 1 editorial cartoons
Cartoons Sunday's political cartoons include Donald Trump's golden comb-over, brain drain in America, and a new TACO presidential seal.
-
5 cartoons about the TACO trade
Cartoons Political cartoonists take on America's tariffs, Vladimir Putin waiting for taco Tuesday, and a new presidential seal
-
A city of culture in the high Andes
The Week Recommends Cuenca is a must-visit for those keen to see the 'real Ecuador'
-
Crypto firm Coinbase hacked, faces SEC scrutiny
Speed Read The Securities and Exchange Commission has also been investigating whether Coinbase misstated its user numbers in past disclosures
-
Starbucks baristas strike over dress code
speed read The new uniform 'puts the burden on baristas' to buy new clothes, said a Starbucks Workers United union delegate
-
Warren Buffet announces surprise retirement
speed read At the annual meeting of Berkshire Hathaway, the billionaire investor named Vice Chairman Greg Abel his replacement
-
Trump calls Amazon's Bezos over tariff display
Speed Read The president was not happy with reports that Amazon would list the added cost from tariffs alongside product prices
-
Markets notch worst quarter in years as new tariffs loom
Speed Read The S&P 500 is on track for its worst month since 2022 as investors brace for Trump's tariffs
-
Tesla Cybertrucks recalled over dislodging panels
Speed Read Almost every Cybertruck in the US has been recalled over a stainless steel panel that could fall off
-
Crafting emporium Joann is going out of business
Speed Read The 82-year-old fabric and crafts store will be closing all 800 of its stores
-
Trump's China tariffs start after Canada, Mexico pauses
Speed Read The president paused his tariffs on America's closest neighbors after speaking to their leaders, but his import tax on Chinese goods has taken effect