Former Environmental Protection Agency head Scott Pruitt is reportedly looking to go to work for Kentucky coal tycoon Joseph W. Craft III.
The New York Times was the first to report Pruitt’s job search to become a coal consultant after resigning from his post at EPA in July amid a number of ethics probes and scandals.
Craft is chief executive of Alliance Resource Partners and a major donor to the Republican Party, who also enjoyed a close relationship with the EPA during Pruitt’s tenure. Craft had met with Pruitt several times during his first year as EPA administrator, the newspaper said, according to two anonymous industry officials.
[Also read: EPA watchdog to report on former chief Scott Pruitt’s use of round-the-clock security]
In December, Craft gave Pruitt court-side seats at a University of Kentucky basketball game. Craft is a major supporter of the school.
The two industry officials that spoke to the newspaper said Pruitt presented plans to launch a new consulting firm at a Kentucky Coal Association meeting last week.
Craft and Pruitt are working close on the plan, according to one official. The industry officials said Pruitt would not be an employee of Craft’s company, and his consulting firm’s roster would eventually include other clients besides Alliance.
At the same time the news of Pruitt’s job search was breaking, the EPA issued Pruitt’s 2017 financial closure report, in which he denies any allegations that he had received gifts as EPA chief.
“To the extent that I am aware of specific allegations, I dispute the facts asserted and, accordingly, am not aware of reportable gifts,” Pruitt stated in the report.
The financial disclosure also showed that Pruitt spent $300,000 on lawyers during his time at EPA. He had faced a number of allegations regarding his spending on security and first-class trips to such exotic locations as Morocco.
The report also showed his wife was paid between $15,000 and $50,000 for work as a consultant while Pruitt was EPA chief. Pruitt had directed EPA senior staff to find work for his wife.
