PEER wins lawsuit - Pruitt must produce his bogus science by July 11th.

For Immediate Release: Jun 04, 2018

Contact: Kirsten Stade 

COURT ORDERS PRUITT TO PRODUCE HIS ALTERNATE CLIMATE SCIENCE

EPA Must Look for Any Scientific Study Supporting Pruitt’s Doubts on Human Role

Posted on Jun 04, 2018 | Tags: climate, EPA, PEER

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Washington, DC — A federal court has rejected the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s refusal to search for scientific information Administrator Scott Pruitt relied upon in claiming that human activity is not a “primary contributor” to climate change, according to a ruling upholding the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) lawsuit brought by Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility (PEER). The agency must also produce any studies EPA possesses that support Pruitt’s stated skepticism of anthropogenic climate change by July 11.

Judge Howell rules: Pruitt must justify his climate science denial. (Complete Ruling Text)

With a tip of my hat to Arstechnica, I reproduce a verbatim copy of Chief Judge Beryl's ruling in PEER's Freedom Of Information Act case against Scott Pruitt, the GOP's Environmental Protection Agency vandal.  

I have only added some bold highlights a few extra paragraph breaks to help with clarity and one link to background regarding Pruitt.

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UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT FOR THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA

PUBLIC EMPLOYEES FOR ENVIRONMENTAL RESPONSIBILITY (PEER),

Plaintiff,

v

U.S. ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY ,

Defendant.

Civil Action No. 17-652 (BAH)

v. Chief Judge Beryl A. Howell

June 1, 2018

MEMORANDUM OPINION

On March 9, 2017, Scott Pruitt, the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (“EPA”), appeared on the CNBC program “Squawk Box” and stated, regarding carbon dioxide created by human activity, that “I would not agree that it’s a primary contributor to the global warming that we see,” and “there’s a tremendous disagreement about of [sic] the impact” of “human activity on the climate.” Compl., ¶ 18–19, ECF No. 1. 

Noting that these public statements by the EPA Administrator “stand in contrast to published research and conclusions of the EPA,” id. ¶ 20, the plaintiff, Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility (“PEER”), a “non-profit organization dedicated to research and public education concerning the activities and operation of [the] federal . . . government[],” id. ¶ 2, submitted a request to EPA, pursuant to the Freedom of Information Act (“FOIA”), 5 U.S.C. § 552, for agency records “relied upon by Administrator Pruitt in making these statements and any EPA documents that support the conclusions that human activity is not the largest factor driving global climate change,”

Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility needs help to block Pruitt's war on EPA

I received the following email from Jeff Ruch, Executive Director of PEER  (Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility) that I want to share.  PEER needs more help to block Pruitt’s insurgency against our nation’s EPA.  Can you offer them some support?

A new scheme by U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Scott Pruitt to raise private donations for a personal legal defense fund violates criminal conflict of interest laws and federal ethics rules, according to a new PEER complaint. 

Earlier this month, Pruitt admitted under questioning at a Senate subcommittee that he has created a “legal defense fund” even though he is not yet personally facing any civil suits or criminal charges.

Responding to congressional and other official inquiries is part of Scott Pruitt’s day job and he is not supposed to accept gifts for doing that job – a violation of the criminal conflict of interest prohibition against a government official having two paymasters. 

That offense is punishable by – Imprisonment up to one year for a knowing violation;

• Imprisonment up to five years for a willful violation; and/or
• Civil penalties of up to $50,000 for each violation.

Bibliography of Articles Reporting on Scott Pruitt's War on our EPA

Thinking about root causes and bubbles, it seems to me our fundamental problem, the one that spawns all others - is that pretty near everyone, from top to bottom, clings to the notion that increasing economic growth is our cure-all, sadly sober math and unavoidable physical reality makes clear that it’s the path to speeding humanity’s self-destruction.  So it goes.

Over the past year, I’ve started a few Scott Pruitt projects, but have been overwhelmed and unable to follow through since it requires more focused time and energy than I could muster so I've walked away, hoping for another day.  Still I hear the news while driving to jobs and am appalled at what these people and their hatchet-man Pruitt are getting away with while most the public seems unconcerned.  Sad thing is, they are going to win unless many more children of the Intellectual Enlightenment get informed and engaged.

The following handy resource is a bibliography focused on what Scott Pruitt has been doing as EPA Administrator.  After this list I repeat it sharing selected quotes from each of the articles hoping to entice readers to continue on to the full stories and reports. This is by no means a complete list, but it is a good start.  I'd welcome any additional suggestions, if offered.

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This November's election is voters biggest, best chance to oppose 

and stop the Republican Party's increasingly totalitarian regime.

Community requires Enlightened Self-interest.

Not single-minded self-interest.

Trump's Americans': ME FIRST!

Is a path to ruin. 

06/05/2018,  By Alexander C. Kaufman, Huffington Post

EPA Chief Scott Pruitt Has Racked Up At Least 10 New Scandals In Just The Past Month

(... Last month, the EPA barred reporters from entering a heavily publicized summit on toxic water contaminants. 
An Associated Press reporter was grabbed and shoved by a security guard. ...)

May 24, 2018, By Nicholas Kusnetz, InsideClimateNews

Pruitt 'Secret Science' Rule: Public Gets More Time for Say as Criticism Grows

May 23, 2018, Marianne Lavelle, InsideClimateNews

Pruitt’s Anti-Climate Agenda Is Facing New Challenge From Science Advisers

May 16, 2018, By Umair Irfan, Vox

5 lies Scott Pruitt has told about his mounting scandals  

May 10, 2018, By Nicholas Kusnetz, InsideClimateNews

Scott Pruitt Plans to Radically Alter How Clean Air Standards Are Set

May 8, 2018, By Jillian Austin, Mt. Juliet High School Student Newspaper

Despite Being the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, Scott Pruitt Has Done Nothing But Further the Damage Done to Our Planet

May 3, 2018, By Elaina Plott | The Atlantic

A Pruitt Aide's Attack on Zinke Angers the White House

May 2, 2018, Michael Hawthorne, Chicago Tribune

EPA chief Pruitt overrules staff, gives Wisconsin's Walker, Foxconn big break on smog

April 26, 2018, By Brady Dennis and Juliet Eilperin, 

Scott Pruitt admits little culpability in EPA controversies, mostly blames aides and staff

April 13, 2018, By Star-Ledger Editorial Board 

Don't overlook Scott Pruitt's real damage | Editorial

April 12, 2018, By Eric Lipton and Lisa Friedman, New York Times

Lawmakers’ Letter Claims Further Spending Abuses by the E.P.A. Head, Scott Pruitt

April 11, 2018, Rhea Such | ECO Watch

Scott Pruitt Has Betrayed the Mission, the National Interest and the Public Trust

April 10, 2018, Dan Turner’s opinion at Fox News

Lost amid all the 'noise' over Scott Pruitt is the very real damage Obama's EPA did to rural communities

April 9, 2018, Robin Bravender and Niina Heikkinen, E&E News reporters

Pruitt's holding on. But he's tarnished

April 6, 2018, By Howell Raines | NBC News

Scott Pruitt's EPA deregulation is destroying a conservative environmental legacy led by Richard Nixon

April 5, 2018, By Felice Stadler | Environmental Defense Fund

Pruitt has made environmental injustice the norm at EPA: 5 shocking examples

April 5, 2018, By Heather Smith | Sierra Club

Even Fox News Is Fed Up With EPA Chief Scott Pruitt

April 5, 2018, Michael Bastasch, Boston Caller

Media Reports Suggest These Trump Officials Are Leaking Damaging Info On Scott Pruitt

April 2, 2018 | By Marianne Lavelle and John Cushman | InsideClimateNews.org

Why Weakening Fuel Efficiency Standards Could Be Trump's Most Climate-Damaging Move Yet
April 2, 2018, Margaret Talbot, The New Yorker
How the Environmental Protection Agency became the fossil-fuel industry’s best friend.

March 30, 2018, Justin Worland, Time

Scientists Worry Scott Pruitt's New EPA Change Will Harm Life-Saving Research

March 30, 2018, By Alex Guillén and Nancy Cook, Politico

Pruitt holding on, so far

March 29, 2018, By Alex Formuzis and Sonya Lunder | Environmental Working Group’

Thanks to Scott Pruitt, 30 Million Pounds of Brain-Damaging Pesticide Will Be Sprayed on Crops in Next 5 Years

March 28, 2018, By John Podesta, Washington Post Op-Ed

Enough is enough. Scott Pruitt needs to go.

March 23, 2018, By Charles P. Pierce | Esquire

Scott Pruitt's EPA Has Managed to Make George W. Bush's Katrina Response Look Admirable

March 8, 2018, By Umair Irfan | Vox

Scott Pruitt is slowly strangling the EPA

February 27, 2018, Kevin Drum | Mother Jones

Scott Pruitt Kills Agency That Studies Chemicals Harmful to Children

February 8, 2018, Opinion by Alexander Nazaryan | Newsweek

HOW THE EPA'S SCOTT PRUITT BECAME THE MOST DANGEROUS MEMBER OF TRUMP’S CABINET

January 30, 2018, Nick Surgey, DocumentedInvestigations.org 

PRUITT CALLED TRUMP A THREAT TO CONSTITUTION IN 2016 INTERVIEW

January 20, 2018, By Alexander C. Kaufman, Huffington Post

Scott Pruitt’s First Year Set The EPA Back Anywhere From A Few Years To 3 Decades

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November 19, 2017 | By Alex Guillén and Emily Holden, Politico

What EPA chief Scott Pruitt promised — and what he’s done

November 1, 2017, William D. Ruckelshaus (Administrator of the EPA from 1970-1973 and 1983-1985)

Pruitt is turning his back on transparency at the EPA

July 27, 2017, By Jeff Goodell | Rollingstone

Scott Pruitt's Crimes Against Nature

February 4, 2017, LA Times Editorial Board

Putting Scott Pruitt in charge of the EPA risks irreversible damage to the planet

February 8, 2017, James Temple | Technological Review

How Much Damage Could Scott Pruitt Really Do at EPA?

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December 12, 2016, Christine Todd Whitman, EPA administrator from 2001 to 2003

I was EPA administrator. Advice for the next one: Don’t walk back environmental progress.

THE CASE FOR FIRING SCOTT PRUITT

https://www.nrdc.org/case-firing-scott-pruitt