Al Armendariz

Another Obama Official Resigns After Ginned Up Conservative Outrage: A Timeline

Ryan J. Reilly and Brian Beutler | May 1, 2012, 4:52AM

From the moment President Obama took office, conservatives have made a small sport of attacking obscure functionaries within his administration -- surfacing old, often out-of-context statements and actions that make his political appointees appear extreme. Over the past three years, they've taken aim at a handful officials, and almost without exception, they've felled their targets. The goal isn't really to root bad actors out of the executive branch, but rather to amass a pile of scalps and contend that Obama is radicalizing the government.

Al Armendariz is the latest victim. He resigned from the EPA on Sunday after conservative media latched on to comments he made years ago about deterring bad actors in fossil fuel industries by making examples of -- or 'crucifying' -- those that get caught breaking the law. In context, his remarks were harmless, if a bit hyperbolic. Most reports ignored the context -- he said the word "crucify," after all.

His undoing differs from the Shirley Sherrod fiasco in two key respects: Armendariz insists he was not pressured to step down by the administration, and despite the harmless nature of his comments, he never proffered a defense of himself -- he apologized for his remarks, and insisted they ran counter to the spirit of the EPA's mission. But the timeline of events leading up to his resignation follows a pattern that will be familiar to anybody who watched Sherrod or Van Jones lose their jobs.

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Topics: Al Armendariz, Barack Obama, EPA, Environment, James Inhofe, Shirley Sherrod, Van Jones, White House

ALEC

Water-Regulation-As-Federalism Bill Passes House, Looks A Lot Like ALEC

Zoe Schlanger | July 21, 2011, 9:15AM

After being fast tracked by a House panel and passing the House last week, a bill that would strip fundamental powers of the EPA to regulate water toxins crept closer to a Senate vote.

It bears a striking resemblance to several pieces of "model legislation" recently leaked from The American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC), and might be the newest testament to the organization's potency.

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Topics: ALEC, EPA, Environment

Chemical Disclosure

Bush Administration, Not Science, Prevented Regulation of Toxin In Drinking Water

Zoe Schlanger | July 13, 2011, 1:15PM

The EPA's controversial 2008 decision not to regulate a drinking water contaminant long connected to impaired brain development and decreased learning capability in infants had more to do with the interests of the Bush administration than with scientific findings regarding its safety, according to a report released Tuesday by a congressional watchdog agency, the LA Times reports.

Perchlorate is a toxin in rocket fuel and fireworks, is present in most states' drinking water, lettuce and milk, and is found in high concentrations near current and former military bases as a byproduct of weapons testing. The E.P.A. currently says it could be contaminating the public wells supplying anywhere from 5 million to 17 million Americans.

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Topics: Chemical Disclosure, Dianne Feinstein, EPA, Environment, George W Bush

John Shimkus

Climate Change Denier Shimkus To Head Environment Subcommittee (VIDEO)

Ryan J. Reilly | December 20, 2010, 9:46AM

Rep. John Shimkus (R-IL) -- the guy who thinks that man can't really destroy the planet because the Bible says only God can -- was passed over for chair of the House Energy and Commerce Committee in favor of Rep. Fred Upton (R-MI).

But now Upton has named Shimkus to chair the Environment and Economy Subcommittee. That subcommittee has jurisdiction over issues like national energy policy, energy regulation and utilization and the Clean Air Act.

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Topics: Climate Change, Environment, Global Warming, House Energy and Commerce Committee, John Shimkus

Newt Gingrich

Coal Interests Fueling Gingrich's Cash-Burning 527

Ryan J. Reilly and Melissa Jeltsen | December 16, 2010, 8:50AM

The recently released IRS filings of Newt Gingrich's American Solutions for Winning the Future makes a few things clear: the coal industry loves him; he's a fan of private planes; and for a self proclaimed fiscal conservative, he's getting a measly return on the millions he's throwing at a Christian telemarketing company that raises cash for the 527 group.

American Solutions, which is dedicated to "creating the next generation of solutions that will ensure the United States remains the safest, freest and most prosperous country in the world" -- raked in $14.5 million in contributions last year, according to IRS filings.

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Topics: 527, American Solutions for Winning the Future, Campaign Finance, Coal Mining, Environment, Newt Gingrich