Of course Republicans in Arkansas don’t object to EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt’s coziness with pals in the coal industry. That’s how we do business, too.

Think Progress rounds up the background on environmental regulators in the U.S. and finds 15 states, including Arkansas, are led by people with past jobs in industries they now regulate.

Advertisement

the number of state environmental regulators with industry backgrounds is indicative of a larger struggle within environmental protection that is now playing out at the highest levels of government: is the role of an environmental regulator to serve the public, or to ease burden on industry?

Arkansas’s lax enforcement of a wide range of environmental rules might help answer the question.

Becky Keogh, director of the Arkansas Department of Environmental Quality, has worked for companies with coal, gas, mining and oil interests, the article notes. She is also — cough, cough — sister-in-law of the state Republican Party chairman, Doyle Webb.

Advertisement

Invest in the future of great journalism in Arkansas

Join the ranks of the 63,000 Facebook followers, 58,000 Twitter followers, 35,000 Arkansas blog followers, and 70,000 daily email blasts who know that the Arkansas Times is the go-to source for tough, determined, and feisty journalism that holds the powerful accountable. For 50 years, our progressive, alternative newspaper in Little Rock has been on the front lines of the fight for truth, and with your support, we can do even more. By subscribing or donating to the Arkansas Times, you'll not only have access to all of our articles, but you'll also be helping us hire more writers and expand our coverage. Don't miss out on the opportunity to make a difference with your subscription or donation to the Arkansas Times today.

Previous article Last chance for early-bird ticket prices for Pig & Swig Next article The Second Lieutenant and the National Anthem