EPA and Dept. of Interior held a private briefing with 45 gas and oil CEOs at Trump's D.C. hotel

by Jen Hayden

Community

(This content is not subject to review by Daily Kos staff prior to publication.)

Friday, Jun. 16, 2017 Friday, Jun. 16, 2017 at 7:36:31am PDT

WASHINGTON, DC - APRIL 29: Police officers wait for the marchers in the entrance of the Trump International Hotel which they are assigned to protect during the People's Climate Movement to protest President Donald Trump's enviromental policies April 29, 2017 in Washington, DC. Demonstrators across the country are gathering to demand a clean energy economy. (Photo by Astrid Riecken/Getty Images)

The Big Oil fix is in. EPA Chief Scott Pruitt held a private briefing with the chief executive officers of 45 gas and oil companies. The topic? No doubt it was coming up with plans to deregulate their industry, roll back pollution and air quality controls, all those things that cost money and get in the way of even bigger profits for Big Oil and Gas. The kicker? Donald Trump himself was enriched by the private swamp meeting, which was held at Trump’s D.C. hotel. Because of course it was.

Trump Era Moment: EPA's Scott Pruitt, with 45 CEOs of largest oil and gas companies in the USA for private briefing. Profits, to Trump Hotel pic.twitter.com/aZICDHGjkk
Ã¢ÂÂ Eric Lipton (@EricLiptonNYT) June 16, 2017

As Eric Lipton of the New York Times reports, Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke also happened to wander into the meeting.

Guess who else stopped in to see CEOs from nation's largest oil and gas companies at Trump Hotel same day. Interior Sec. Zinke. Two for 1. pic.twitter.com/xk60Tgtnb8
Ã¢ÂÂ Eric Lipton (@EricLiptonNYT) June 16, 2017

Only weeks later, Donald Trump made it a whole lot easier for oil companies to drill in National Parks.

In late March, President Trump signed his 19th executive order, titled “Promoting Energy Independence and Economic Growth,” which in addition to rolling back a number of Obama-era climate polices may also make it easier for energy companies to drill in America’s national parks.

Buried in the 2,300-word executive order is a sentence directing the Secretary of the Interior, Ryan Zinke, to review the rules which regulate oil and gas drilling in national parks and to repeal, suspend, or rescind them if they are found inconsistent with the president’s energy goals.

Big Oil got every single thing they wanted from the meeting. Shortly after the meeting, Secretary Zinke announced they were pausing new oil and gas regulations. The Big Oil investment in the Republican Party is going to pay off very nicely for them, all at the expense of public health and public lands.

There is a follow up too: EPA and Interior, not much after these private meetings at Trump Hotel in DC, give API just what they wanted. pic.twitter.com/eUVSmB4mKC
Ã¢ÂÂ Eric Lipton (@EricLiptonNYT) June 16, 2017

How is this not a bigger scandal?