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Pruitt, who had
sued the environmental agency more than a dozen times when he
was the oil- and gas-producing state's top legal officer, had
pledged during his Senate confirmation that he would step aside
from ongoing cases if the agency's ethics panel required it.
Environmental groups have contended that his litigation as
Oklahoma attorney general may have been influenced by energy
companies and industry groups that contributed to his election
campaigns.
"This recusal statement addresses all of my ethics obligations,"
Pruitt said in the four-page statement, which was dated May 4.
It was first reported by the E&E News website, which obtained
the statement under the Freedom of Information Act.
Pruitt said he would not participate for one year after his
Senate confirmation in matters involving four parties. They
include Oklahoma and the Rule of Law Defense Fund, a public
policy group involving Republican attorneys general that
targeted environmental rules.
Pruitt also recused himself from a dozen pending cases involving
the EPA. They include lawsuits over the Clean Power Plan and
cases in both federal appeals and district courts over the Clean
Water Act, which expanded the number of federally protected
waterways.
Republican President Donald Trump signed an order in March
undoing the Clean Power Plan and other climate change rules that
had been imposed by his predecessor, Democratic President Barack
Obama.
(Reporting by Ian Simpson; Editing by Jonathan Oatis)
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