Today the Office of the Inspector General (OIG) for the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) issued a report which found that over $3.5 million was spent on the personal security detail (PSD) of former EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt, without justification. Rep. Beyer issued the following statement: “This IG report leaves no doubt that Scott Pruitt wasted huge amounts of taxpayer money on his own protection without justification. Though many of my colleagues and I repeatedly raised concerns abou... Read more

The Hill | “This IG report leaves no doubt that Scott Pruitt wasted huge amounts of taxpayer money on his own protection without justification,” said Rep. Don Beyer (D-Va.). “The Pruitt saga illustrates how sorely real oversight is needed as a check on the president, and how the GOP-led Congress has acted as a rubber stamp for the Trump administration’s worst excesses.” Click here to read the full article Read more

Rep. Don Beyer (D-VA) released the following statement after the Trump Administration released its proposal to gut the Clean Power Plan: “President Trump and Acting EPA head Andrew Wheeler teamed up with their friends in the fossil fuel industry to release a plan that would open the floodgates to more carbon pollution across the country. The Administration’s proposal is a betrayal of the public trust that fails to uphold the EPA’s legal obligation under the Clean Air Act to protect Americans fro... Read more

Think Progress Along with an expected failure to send the coal industry on a long-term recovery, the ACE rule includes an acknowledgment that the plan would lead to up to 1,400 premature deaths annually. The Clean Power Plan, on the other hand, was projected to help fight climate change as well as protect human health. The Clean Power Plan would help avoid between 1,500 and 3,600 premature deaths annually by 2030, the New York Times reported Tuesday. “President Trump and Acting EPA head Andrew W... Read more

The Hill Rep. Don Beyer (D-Va.): "President Trump and Acting EPA head Andrew Wheeler teamed up with their friends in the fossil fuel industry to release a plan that would open the floodgates to more carbon pollution across the country." "The Administration's proposal is a betrayal of the public trust that fails to uphold the EPA's legal obligation under the Clean Air Act to protect Americans from pollution." Read more

Think Progress Using the USA Today op-ed as a guide, Rep. Don Beyer (D-VA) on Wednesday tweeted a list of reasons why Zinke believes wildfires have grown worse in the western United States. The list did not include climate change. “I’d rather hear from scientists about what causes wildfires, but he keeps censoring them,” Beyer said in response to Zinke’s op-ed. The Department of the Interior has been accused of removing mentions of climate change from its website since Zinke took over as head of... Read more

Rep. Don Beyer issued the following statement today after the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and National Highway Traffic Safety Administration proposed to roll back fuel-efficiency standards for cars and trucks: “In one of President Trump’s most significant efforts to undo Obama’s environmental legacy, he solidified his own: prioritize the wish list of big corporate polluters over the health of the American people. In rolling back the fuel-efficiency standards, the Trump Administration h... Read more

POLITICO House Democrats have asked the Office of Government Ethics to review acting EPA Administrator Andrew Wheeler's meetings with companies that employed him as a lobbyist, Emily Holden reports. Rep. Don Beyer (D-Va.) and several colleagues sent a letter to the independent agency following reporting from E&E News that Wheeler met with at least three former clients in recent months as deputy administrator. The Democrats pointed to Scott Pruitt's resignation "under a cloud of ethical controver... Read more

Rep. Beyer (D-VA) led a group of House Democrats today asking the Acting Director of the Office of Government Ethics (OGE) for a review of recent meetings between Acting EPA Administrator Andrew Wheeler and his former lobbying clients. The inquiry followed reporting by E&E that Wheeler met with at least three clients of Wheeler’s former lobbying firm this summer, which may have violated his Trump Administration ethics pledge. The Representatives wrote: “Acting Administrator Wheeler served as a r... Read more

The Hill A group of House Democrats is calling for the government’s ethics office to investigate acting Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) head Andrew Wheeler's meetings with former lobbying clients. Democratic Reps. Don Beyer (Va.), Raja Krishnamoorthi (Ill.), Pramila Jayapal (Wash.) and Jamie Raskin (Md.) want the Office of Government Ethics to investigate whether the meetings, first reported Thursday by E&E News, violated ethics standards. “Andrew Wheeler is the Acting Administrator of the... Read more