Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) administrator Scott Pruitt is taking incoming fire from multiple directions these days. Scandals emerging over his first class airline travel, large security detail, and unorthodox living arrangements in a Capitol Hill townhouse have combined to raise doubts about his future in President Donald Trump's cabinet.
The most egregious Pruitt scandal, though, involves the use of a little-known provision in the Safe Drinking Water Act, which permits the EPA administrator to hire up to 30 people into the agency without White House or congressional approval.
According to reporting by Elaina Plott and Robinson Meyer of The Atlantic, the provision exists in order to give the agency the ability to bring in experts and help relieve personnel shortages in key offices. (The Washington Postsubsequently confirmed The Atlantic's reporting.)
SEE ALSO:Leaked EPA email tells staff to play up climate denial, ignore actual dataPruitt, however, used the provision to give significant pay raises to two political aides — Sarah Greenwalt and Millan Hupp — even though the White House had turned down a separate request from Pruitt for salary increases to those two political appointees in a meeting in early March.
One of the staffers saw their salary balloon by $28,130, compared to 2017 levels, and the other got a $56,765 raise, according to The Atlantic. The latter salary increase brought Greenwalt's salary to more than $160,000, higher than what most senior-level employees at the EPA typically earn.
Also, because they were appointed to the agency under the Safe Drinking Water Act, neither political aide had to sign ethics pledges concerning lobbying activities and other conflicts of interest.
Here are the two most important paragraphs from from the story:
After the White House rejected their request, Pruitt’s team studied the particulars of the Safe Drinking Water provision, according to the source with direct knowledge of these events. By reappointing Greenwalt and Hupp under this authority, they learned, Pruitt could exercise total control over their contracts and grant the raises on his own.
Pruitt ordered it done. Though Hupp and Greenwalt’s duties did not change, the agency began processing them for raises of $28,130 and $56,765, respectively, compared with their 2017 salaries. Less than two weeks after Pruitt had approached the White House, according to time-stamped Human Resources documents shared with The Atlantic, the paperwork was finished.
The pay raises illustrate that Pruitt is not particularly concerned about angering the White House, and has little regard for the morale of the civil servants at the agency he leads. The Atlanticpoints out that of all the scandals whirling around Pruitt right now, this is the one that is being talked about the most internally at EPA, given the size of the pay raises and unusual way they were handled.
The EPA inspector general's office is currently investigating Pruitt for running afoul of government travel rules and ethics violations, and lawmakers are now pushing for a review of the pay raises, as well.
What better way to say "environmental protection" than to visit a coal mine?Credit: Photo by Justin Merriman/Getty ImagesThe one thing Pruitt has going for him is that more than any other cabinet member, he has been enormously visible in enacting President Trump's agenda through deregulation. On Tuesday morning, for example, Pruitt spoke about reversing the Obama administration's fuel economy standards, which are considered a key ingredient in any successful policy to address global warming. Pruitt and Trump think they're too onerous for car manufacturers.
Pruitt has also been rolling back other regulations on climate change, including the Clean Power Plan, which would limit the emissions from coal-fired power plants.
Pruitt is considered a villain by environmental groups, who have organized a campaign to oust him. It's hard to imagine another EPA leader with more disdain for the mission of the agency he or she leads.
TopicsPolitics
(责任编辑：焦點)
Pokémon Go is so big that it has its own VR porn parody now
Google adds 'swipe to unlock' feature to Android AutoZooey Deschanel is new Belle in 'Beauty and the Beast' live concertShia LaBeouf missed out on some big movie roles
There's a big piece of fake chicken stuck to this phone caseThis coloring book is here for all your relationship goals
LONDON -- We are living through the golden age of celebrity relationships. Gone are the days of tort
...[详细]NASA's Kepler spacecraft has been peering deep into the Milky Way galaxy for nearly a decade. It has
...[详细]Chewie isn't solo: Star Wars fans howl over a Wookiee love story
Oh Chewbacca, who was that Wookiee I saw you with tonight? One scene from the
。 Solo: A Star Wars Sto
...[详细]Apple might release AirPower wireless charging pad by the end of March
The wait for Apple's 3-in-1 AirPower wireless charging pad that can charge an iPhone 8 or X, Apple W
...[详细]New Zealand designer's photo series celebrates the elegance of aging
Not only is age nothin’ but a number -- it can be a asset when it comes to style.
。 That’
...[详细]These images from the National School Walkout are powerful beyond belief
Students, teachers, and faculty members at schools across America are participating in a National Sc
...[详细]Major snowstorm slams East Coast, to break records from D.C. to Boston
The fourth nor'easter in just three weeks is pummeling the East Coast, bringing heavy snow and sleet
...[详细]Snapchat's YouTube shooting coverage buried by Kardashian snaps
Snapchat's redesign has been critiqued for being difficult to find celebrities, such as Kylie Jenner
...[详细]Fyvush Finkel, Emmy winner for 'Picket Fences,' dies at 93
NEW YORK (AP) — Actor Fyvush Finkel, the plastic-faced Emmy Award-winning character actor whos
...[详细]Sean Bean finally reveals what Ned Stark's final words were
As the joke goes, Sean Bean is really good at dying. But he's never died better than in his performa
...[详细]Mom discovers security cameras hacked, kids' bedroom livestreamed
LinkedIn stalking is low key the biggest thing in online dating