Carper Statement on Long-Overdue Release of Administrator Pruitt’s Schedule

WASHINGTON, DC – Senator Tom Carper (D-Del.), top Democrat on the Senate Environment and Public Works (EPW) Committee, released the following statement regarding reports that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) will finally release Administrator Scott Pruitt’s schedule to the public. The decision to do so comes more than six months after Senator Carper, joined by 4 of his colleagues, urged Administrator Pruitt to commit to several transparency measures, including the release of his calendar.

“The decision to release Mr. Pruitt’s schedule to the public – a standard practice for past administrators since the Reagan Administration – is long-overdue. I urged the new administrator to commit to transparency at the agency and make his calendar available back in March. Since then, my requests have been ignored, but perhaps this is a turning point. The American people deserve to know the meetings and activities their EPA Administrator and other confirmed EPA officials are prioritizing, and now they should have access to information that will help provide some clarity.

“I hope that this is a step in the right direction, but, as the song goes, ‘we’ve only just begun.’ I am hopeful that Administrator Pruitt will continue to focus on responses to my other outstanding requests for information. As I have repeatedly noted, I am unwilling to support processing any additional EPA nominees until the agency’s responsiveness to Democratic requests improves.” 

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