Campaign for Accountability (CfA), a watchdog group, filed a lawsuit this month against the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in the District of Columbia to demand the release of documents linked to the Tar Creek Superfund site, which is located in northeastern Oklahoma.
CfA alleges that the Oklahoma state auditor composed a report containing evidence of criminal activity in the government program designed to assist those living close to the Tar Creek site, and that EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt, who at that time served as Oklahoma Attorney General, prevented the release of the report, and failed to pursue criminal charges. CfA further maintains that Oklahoma Attorney General Mike Hunter, Pruitt’s successor, has continued to block the report from being released.
CfA Executive Director Daniel Stevens said, “First Scott Pruitt and his cronies covered up evidence of potential criminal wrongdoing at a Superfund site, and now they’re trying to cover their tracks. Oklahomans deserve to learn who profited from the Tar Creek cleanup process. What are Scott Pruitt and Mike Hunter so desperate to hide?”
According to an article in Politico, Scott Pruitt said his former office’s grand jury reviewed the audit and made the determination that criminal charges were not warranted, and that he did not want to release the report because he felt “It was important protect the individuals’ reputation that were in that investigation.”
This lawsuit comes at a time when Scott Pruitt is facing scrutiny for alleged corruption and abuse of power, and demands that the EPA respond to CfA’s FOIA requests for information related to the Tar Creek Superfund Report.
Additional Reading:
Campaign for Accountability v. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (Docket)
New EPA Lawsuit Claims Scott Pruitt Covered Up Evidence of Potential Criminal Wrongdoing
The Environmental Scandal in Scott Pruitt’s Backyard
Watchdog Sues EPA for Documents Linked to Superfund Report Suppressed by Pruitt (Press Release)
EPA’s Scott Pruitt buried under avalanche of scandals
Tar Creek (Film)
