Former EPA Adminstrator Scott Pruitt Turns Indiana Lobbyist

Former U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Scott Pruitt registered as a lobbyist in Indiana on Thursday. Pruitt signed up as a self-employed consultant under RailPoint Solutions, LLC. 

Though it’s unclear what the company does, Heather Tryon is its manager. That’s also the name of the chief financial officer at Sunrise Coal out of Terre Haute.

This comes less than a week after an effort to put a temporary hold on big utility projects was defeated in the state House. If passed, it had the potential to stall two wind farms planned by the northern Indiana utility NIPSCO.

Though that legislation could reappear this session, House Speaker Brian Bosma (R-Indianapolis) says it’s unlikely.

“My advice when I was asked if that was a productive interaction was, 'It’s too late.' They apparently have some great facts. Those facts should have been shared perhaps before the bill was voted on and defeated,” he says.

Pruitt served as the EPA administrator for about five months. Like other of President Donald Trump’s appointees, he signed an agreement not to lobby the federal agency he served for five years after leaving his position. Pruitt’s lobbying interests in Indiana are listed as energy and natural resources.

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Indiana Environmental reporting is supported by the Environmental Resilience Institute, an Indiana University Grand Challenge project developing Indiana-specific projections and informed responses to problems of environmental change.