Sierra Membership Releases Practically 1,000 New Emails from Trump’s EPA

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Washington, DC — Because the Trump administration continues to undo federal rules that shield our air and water, together with proposals to remove requirements for automobile emissions and revoke the 2009 endangerment discovering, the Sierra Membership at present launched 952 pages of emails between EPA officers and exterior organizations supplied in response to the environmental group’s Freedom of Info Act request.

VIEW THE EMAILS HERE

That is the newest launch of data from the EPA in response to the Sierra Membership’s FOIA request on February 27, which sought communications between varied leaders on the EPA and exterior organizations and lobbyists. The newly launched emails focus on points from automobile emission waivers, trade makes an attempt to defeat Sierra Membership initiatives to guard the atmosphere and customers, and issues concerning PFAS and PFOA protections, amongst others.

“These data present a glance backstage of the Trump and Zeldin EPA, and in them you see company polluters, trade coalitions, and their lobbyists—from vehicle firms to chemical producers—lining as much as urge the company to roll again protections that save lives, shield our air and water, and save customers cash,” stated Andrea Issod, senior lawyer with the Sierra Membership’s Environmental Regulation Program. “Since its creation, the EPA’s cost has been to guard public well being and the atmosphere. The extra we see from this company—from its public bulletins to inside issues—the extra our concern for the well being of our individuals and planet grows. We’ll proceed to do all we will to uncover these communications and maintain the general public knowledgeable on who has the ear of the EPA and the way they’re influencing the choices being made.”

The data embrace correspondences with automakers and trade teams particularly searching for motion to undo California’s waiver coverage which sought to scale back automobile emissions—shortly earlier than Congress nullified the waivers by the Congressional Overview Act in June.

Specifically, Toyota sought a gathering with Administrator Lee Zeldin in early February (pp. 230-231) particularly to debate the California waivers and tailpipe air pollution requirements set by the Biden Administration. A senior govt with Ford additionally met with officers on the EPA, with a senior official on the company saying that, “Though I’m recused from Ford points, you all the time have a pal right here.” (pp. 750-752)

Elsewhere, the American Petroleum Institute and the American Gas and Petrochemical Producers coordinated a sign-on letter in assist of the nullification of the waivers, shared straight with the top of the EPA’s Workplace of Public Engagement (pp. 104-111). Likewise, the emails reveal assembly requests submitted by the American Gasoline Affiliation to “focus on vital vitality priorities with the brand new Administration” in early February (pp. 25-27).

The e-mail data additionally embrace a number of communications concerning PFAS and PFOA points and proposals to roll again or rethink protections carried out by the Biden administration, together with emails from chemical firm Chemours searching for decision of a difficulty with harmful discharges on the firm’s Washington Works plant in West Virginia (pp. 137-198), correspondence from the US Chamber of Commerce on behalf of a number of trade associations and companies (pp. 678-684), emails from trade commerce teams and members of the paper and pulp trade (pp. 756-787), and paperwork from the American Chemistry Council (pp. 841, 874-877).

The Sierra Membership requested these communications shortly after Administrator Zeldin was confirmed to guide the Environmental Safety Company in anticipation that he would use the company to learn polluters. Certain sufficient, since then, Trump’s Environmental Safety Company has proposed rolling again the 2009 endangerment discovering, eradicated its Workplace of Analysis and Improvementand cancelled greater than $20 billion in awards for clear vitality tasks. These Freedom of Info Act requests are serving to to convey transparency and accountability to the work that the Trump administration is doing on behalf of the nation’s most harmful polluters.

The Sierra Membership additionally expects to obtain extra batches of emails and data from different businesses, together with the Division of Power and Division of the Division of Power and Division of Inside, within the days and weeks forward.

Extra Info

The Sierra Membership has additionally filed lawsuits towards the Division of Transportation for withholding data on their illegal funding freeze and exterior communications data; the Division of Power for failing to reply to FOIA requests for exterior communications data; the Workplace of Administration and Finances for failing to reply to three Freedom of Info Act requests which search OMB’s data and communications associated to freezing Congressionally appropriated funding and communications between key OMB and DOGE workers with exterior events; and the Division of the Inside for failing to reply to requests on exterior communications for key Inside workers, together with Secretary Doug Burgum, appearing assistant secretaries, and designated DOGE workers.

The Sierra Membership’s Environmental Regulation Program has filed quite a few FOIA requests all through the present Trump Administration, receiving paperwork about funding freezes, company terminations and vacancies of vital workers, in addition to firms requesting presidential exemptions to keep away from air air pollution rules.

Concerning the Sierra Membership

The Sierra Membership is America’s largest and most influential grassroots environmental group, with hundreds of thousands of members and supporters. Along with defending each particular person’s proper to get outdoor and entry the therapeutic energy of nature, the Sierra Membership works to advertise clear vitality, safeguard the well being of our communities, shield wildlife, and protect our remaining wild locations by grassroots activism, public training, lobbying, and authorized motion. For extra data, go to www.sierraclub.org.

Press launch from the Sierra Membership.