Today, CfA released emails from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) revealing that former chief of staff Ryan Jackson sent reporters an “OFFICIAL USE ONLY” summary of an EPA Inspector General investigation into allegations of wrongdoing at the Tar Creek Superfund site in Oklahoma. CfA obtained the emails through a FOIA lawsuit, represented by American Oversight. 

"Campaign for Accountability, a public watchdog organization based in Washington, wants the Environmental Protection Agency to provide relevant documents related to Pruitt’s failure to release the audits publicly. The refusal was widely criticized at the time, including by the auditor himself."

"As Oklahoma Attorney General, Scott Pruitt was the state’s chief law enforcement officer. But the recently released Tar Creek Audit suggests Pruitt was more interested in covering up misconduct than in holding wrongdoers accountable."

"Whatever Pruitt’s original reason for suppressing the report, it now has national significance. 'This whole situation is about the way Pruitt handled alleged wrongdoing at one site,' said Stevens. 'He now oversees the entire Superfund program across the country. What does this mean about how he’s running the entire program?'"

"Suspicions are growing over Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Scott Pruitt’s alleged involvement in covering up a possible crime at a hazardous waste site in his home state of Oklahoma. In response, a nonprofit watchdog group filed a lawsuit for more information in Oklahoma on Tuesday against the state’s attorney general."

"One day after securing the release of a state audit into the Tar Creek Superfund site, a national watchdog group filed another lawsuit against the Oklahoma attorney general's office."

On April 10, 2018, CfA filed a lawsuit in the District Court of Oklahoma County against Oklahoma Attorney General Mike Hunter for failing to release communications between former Oklahoma Attorney General Scott Pruitt and United States Senator James Inhofe (R-OK) about the work of the Lead-Impacted Communities Relocation Trust (“LICRAT”) at the Tar Creek Superfund site northeastern Oklahoma.

Watchdog group Campaign for Accountability filed a federal lawsuit against the Environmental Protection Agency seeking the release of records involving the audits. Daniel Stevens, director of the watchdog group, said Monday they were pleased to see the released documents. The watchdog group is “still evaluating the documents posted online” in efforts to verify whether Hunter’s office released all the documents required by law.

"A national watchdog group embroiled in a legal battle with the Oklahoma attorney general's office over a state audit into the Tar Creek Superfund site has now sued the Environmental Protection Agency for more Tar Creek documents."

"The Campaign for Accountability (CFA), a DC-based watchdog group, has been seeking the release of the audit. Last fall, it filed suit to force the state to release the report, litigation that is still pending. And on Thursday it filed suit against the EPA to find out whether Pruitt may have used his position with the agency to keep the audit—and any wrongdoing it may have uncovered—from seeing the light of day. The new suit contends that the agency has failed to respond to Freedom of Information Act requests for documents concerning whether Pruitt’s agency may have coordinated with Oklahoma officials to keep the audit under seal—and whether EPA officials may have leaked a 2013 report by the agency”s inspector general that downplayed allegations of wrongdoing in connection with the buyout program. In February, several news outlets obtained copies of the report."