STICK WITH US FOR THIS THREAD: We know Scott Pruitt doesn't like to email (avoids creating a "paper trail") Turns out he DOES (or did) snail mail. Guess who he writes to? Oil & gas executives. Come along for the ride as we check out bit of his correspondence. BP America up first 
Got this batch of written correspondence late Friday via Sierra Club lawsuit, which has produced 40,000+ pages of records. @LFFriedman @HirokoTabuchi & I read through it. We've written stories on themes re Pruitt like this before. So we are sharing this as a narrative Tweet
Here is a note to Chevron chairman and CEO, with a bit of a personal touch from Scott Pruitt. "Wonderful to spend time together!" It is interesting that most of these are from early 2017. Perhaps Pruitt decided to stop writing these snail-mail posted letters too.
Pruitt and Jack Gerard, head American Petroleum Institute (API)-- the largest U.S. trade association for the oil and natural gas industry--had a nice back and forth chat via written letters, after Pruitt closed-door visit. "VERY MUCH ENJOYED OUR TIME TOGETHER!"
HAROLD HAMM--the Oklahoma oil billionaire who was the chairman of Pruitt's re-election campaign as Ok Attorney General and is CEO of Continental Resources, a big backer of Trump/giant critic of Obama-era envior rules. "APPRECIATE YOU!" Pruitt writes
SMALLER OKLAHOMA PLAYERS TOO: Like Pierce Norton, CEO of Tulsa-based ONE Gas Inc "I VERY MUCH APPRECIATE YOUR INPUT AND COUNSEL ON A VARIETY OF ISSUES FACING THE INDUSTRY! SEE YOU SOON" Pruitt writes, in an entirely hand-written note. One of the few.
At The NYT, we have written extensively about Pruitt and his frequent meetings with oil and gas industry players. Here is one of those stories. What we have never before seen were these personal notes. nytimes.com/2017/10/03/us/…
We have also previously published detailed excerpts of Pruitt's internal calendar showing these meetings. And the NYT has sued the EPA to get copies of this detailed calendar every month. nytimes.com/interactive/20…
(BACK TO THE LETTERS) Yes, Pruitt does have non oil-gas letters too. Here's 1 to Ken Cuccinelli former VA Att General, now president of Senate Conservatives Fund "where he is committed to helping elect the next wave of principled leaders" (Pruitt a likely future Senate candidate)
Agriculture industry, another big Pruitt constituency. Here's a note to the National Cattlemen's Beef Association. Groups like this have BIG enviro issues before EPA, like Clean Water rule Pruitt is repealing/revising in part because farmers don't like it. "VERY MUCH ENJOYED"
Forgot this one with the American Gas Association's top boss. Pruitt is close with both oil AND gas industry players. We know this from his calendar, as it shows dozens of such meetings over the last year. AGA President and CEO Dave McCurdy. "IT WAS GOOD TO CATCH UP"
There are a number of letters with local officials and foreign players too. Here are a few samples, like Arizona State Treasurer Jeff DeWit who has since been named by Trump as NASA's chief financial officer. Here too the state secretary for minister environment from Germany.
A FEW ODD ONES. Can anyone explain this one? We have not figured it out. A tour of a baseball stadium? In what city? For what reason? And who is ALFREDO CASTRO?
A final couple of gems. Folks out there in the United States like to send Scott Pruitt books on CLIMATE CHANGE. Surprise? First a climate change skeptic. Trying help Pruitt "Data was being altered, concealed..Church of the Holy C02 is precisely that - a faith, not a science."
And then there was this: "GLOBAL WARMING FOR DUMMIES." A used copy, delivered free of charge to the E.P.A. "CONSIDER THE CONSEQUENCES FOR THE PLANET, BOTH IMMEDIATE AND LONG TERM" Can't say for sure where this one ended up. Do not see a thank you note back.
ONE final observation. There is nothing wrong with this correspondence. All of it pretty straight forward: Thank you notes, books. But good to know who Pruitt interacts with. Thanks again Sierra Club re lawsuit produced this. And FOIA OFFICERS WHO PULLED IT. Transparency matters.
Also, it is interesting that these hand-written notes seem largely from early 2017. Perhaps Pruitt stopped writing these letters too. Regardless here is a final couple of bonus images 4 you from the incoming mail side. This re "CORRUPT, SELF-SERVING BIG MEDIA." Enjoy your Sunday
