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1/ President Trump's new pick for Interior secretary is longtime lobbyist David Bernhardt.
New emails we obtained through FOIA show Bernhardt played a big role in gutting protections for migratory birds.
revealnews.org/article/trumps…
New emails we obtained through FOIA show Bernhardt played a big role in gutting protections for migratory birds.
revealnews.org/article/trumps…
2/ Bernhardt joined Interior as the No. 2 when Trump took office after a long career as a lobbyist for oil, gas and water concerns.
Earlier this month, Trump nominated him for the top Interior spot.
Earlier this month, Trump nominated him for the top Interior spot.
3/ For more than 50 years, administrations prosecuted companies for inadvertently killing birds.
Millions of birds die excruciating deaths in oil wastewater pits or through collisions with windmills and communications towers, or electrocutions by power lines.
Millions of birds die excruciating deaths in oil wastewater pits or through collisions with windmills and communications towers, or electrocutions by power lines.
4/ But in December 2017, Interior changed the policy, declaring that it’s only illegal to kill birds on purpose.
If birds die in a company’s wastewater pit it’s no longer illegal, even if they could have taken steps to avoid the deaths.
If birds die in a company’s wastewater pit it’s no longer illegal, even if they could have taken steps to avoid the deaths.
5/ Emails show Bernhardt played a personal role in ending the prosecutions.
Justice Department lawyers opposed the policy change, but Bernhardt’s reaction to Interior’s top lawyer was:
“Well we have a bit of work to do. Change is not easy.”
Justice Department lawyers opposed the policy change, but Bernhardt’s reaction to Interior’s top lawyer was:
“Well we have a bit of work to do. Change is not easy.”
6/ At least one of Bernhardt’s former clients -- Independent Petroleum Association of America -- pressed for this policy reversal.
He did not recuse himself.
revealnews.org/article/egged-…
He did not recuse himself.
revealnews.org/article/egged-…
7/ Bernhardt has so many potential conflicts as a former lobbyist that he has to carry around a card listing them all.
From @washingtonpost:
washingtonpost.com/national/healt…
From @washingtonpost:
washingtonpost.com/national/healt…
@washingtonpost 8/ And, as @nytimes reported today, Bernhardt has also worked to further the interest of other former clients since arriving at No. 2.
Ethics experts say this is troubling.
nytimes.com/2019/02/12/cli…
Ethics experts say this is troubling.
nytimes.com/2019/02/12/cli…
@washingtonpost @nytimes 9/ The rollback of the bird protections is part of a Trump administration strategy to reverse environmental safeguards that oil companies and other industries consider burdensome.
@washingtonpost @nytimes 10/ For more, listen to our podcast on Trump's energy dominance.
revealnews.org/episodes/behin…
And see more examples in our (Un)Scientific Method series examining the war on science:
revealnews.org/topic/the-unsc…
revealnews.org/episodes/behin…
And see more examples in our (Un)Scientific Method series examining the war on science:
revealnews.org/topic/the-unsc…
