Let me pause here to repeat how important the Freedom of Information law is to understanding our government. Thank you to all the FOIA officers who handle our requests so professionally. Realize it is a lot of work
So what did Joe Craft and the coal industry want? Well, conveniently they laid it out all here in this memo they submitted to the EPA in May 2017. Here is the first page and a link to the whole memo. Toxic metals releases, coal ash, clean power plan, etc. documentcloud.org/documents/4491… 
Pruitt moved almost immediately to work through this wish list. This is 10 days after coal industry submitted stuff it wanted gone. This was one of the items, postponing Obama-era requirement to stop toxic metals from being released into area rivers via wastewater of power plants
(Somehow I accidentally broke this tread into two) The meetings with Pruitt continued to take place, at Naples, Fla., Ritz Carlton, at Trump International Hotel in DC, at the offices of the coal industry consulting firm, DCI Group, etc. Craft and Pruitt and other coal giants.
Re basketball game: Pruitt was back in Kentucky and wanted to go to the UofK game, so he called Craft, who has donated millions & got a pair of tickets for Pruitt & his son. Pruitt agreed to pay Craft by check $130 each. BUT EPA tells us cash used. So no proof. Security went too.
Here is whole collection of documents we assembled for this story. A lot reporting here by @SteveEder @HirokoTabuchi, myself. Eder went to Kentucky to do on the ground reporting too. Thank you NYT subscribers for supporting this work. Transparency Matters. documentcloud.org/documents/4491…
And of course, take the time to read the story by @SteveEder @HirokoTabuchi and myself. As I said at beginning of this thread (now split in two) it is abt a lot more than a college basketball game. Here is the link. Share it around too. nytimes.com/2018/06/02/us/…
A parting image for those who read through this. Where's Pruitt?
