Conflict of Interest Permitted in EPA

Politics

National Politics

EPA Chief Pruitt’s aide given permission to work for private clients on the side – but their identities will be kept secret

Similar outside employment was approved for another Trump political appointee working as a senior adviser for public engagement in the EPA’s regional office in Denver

By Michael Biesecker | The Associated Press

March 6, 2018 at 9:28 am

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WASHINGTON — A key aide to Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Scott Pruitt has been granted permission to make extra money moonlighting for private clients whose identities are being kept secret.

A letter approving outside employment contracts for John Konkus — signed by an EPA ethics lawyer in August — was released Monday by Democrats on the House Energy and Commerce Committee.

The ethics official noted that Konkus’ outside contracts presented a “financial conflict of interest” and barred him from participating in matters at EPA that would have a “direct and predictable” financial benefit for his clients.

Pruitt named Konkus, a Republican political consultant, to serve as the EPA’s deputy associate administrator for public affairs. His duties have included signing off on hundreds of millions in federal grants.

The letter gave Konkus approval to work for at least two clients. Those names were blacked out by the agency before a copy was provided to Congress, citing a privacy exemption more typically used to protect personnel records and medical files. The letter said Konkus was also expected to take on additional private clients, advising them about “strategy, mail and media production.”

Konkus didn’t respond to requests for comment Monday. His boss said he followed proper procedure.

Liz Bowman, EPA’s associate administrator for public affairs, said, “As the letter states, EPA career ethics approvals have reviewed and approved these opportunities.”

Federal regulations would still limit Konkus from receiving more than $27,765 from outside clients in 2017, according to the letter. His taxpayer-funded salary for his full-time position at the EPA is about $145,000 annually.

Prior to joining the Trump administration, Konkus worked as an executive vice president for Jamestown Associates, a political consulting firm. According to the firm’s website last year, Konkus “worked on the ground tirelessly to help President Trump win Florida.”

Konkus also served two years as chief of staff to former Florida Lt. Gov. Jennifer Carroll. A Republican, Carroll was forced to resign in 2013 over consulting work she had previously done for a scam veteran’s charity that state and federal prosecutors said laundered more than $300 million in proceeds from illegal gambling parlors.

Since Konkus arrived in Washington in early 2017, his responsibilities have included reviewing and approving all EPA grants prior to being awarded to help ensure they “adhere to the policies and principles of the current administration,” according to his online resume.

The Washington Post reported in September that Konkus had been scrutinizing grant applications for mentions of climate change, which he reportedly referred to as “the double C-word.”

That’s in line with statements by Pruitt, who as the administration’s top environmental official has embraced a pro-fossil-fuel agenda while questioning climate science showing that global warming is primarily caused by man-made carbon emissions.

House Democrats decried what they called the politicization of the EPA’s grants-making process in a letter sent to Pruitt on Monday.

“A political appointee cutting millions of dollars in funding to EPA grant recipients on what appears to be a politically motivated basis, while at the same time being authorized to serve as a paid media consultant to unnamed outside clients, raises serious concerns of potential conflicts of interest,” said the letter. Signatories included Rep. Frank Pallone Jr. of New Jersey, the top Democrat on the Energy and Commerce Committee.

The Democrats also demanded a list of all other EPA political appointees receiving outside compensation, as well as unredacted copies of the letters approving the outside work.

The AP filed a public records request with EPA in August under the Freedom of Information Act, seeking copies of all ethics letters, agreements or waivers for Pruitt’s team. So far, the agency has yet to release a single document.

Along with the information about Konkus’ side jobs, the House Democrats also got a copy of letter approving similar outside employment for Patrick Davis, another Trump political appointee working as a senior adviser for public engagement in the EPA’s regional office in Denver.

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Like Konkus, Davis is a Republican political consultant who led Trump’s presidential campaign in Colorado. According to a 2015 report by ProPublica, Davis was accused two years earlier of defrauding a conservative super PAC called Vote2ReduceDebt, which was funded by an elderly oil tycoon. The group collapsed after Davis allegedly paid nearly $3 million of the PAC’s funds to organizations run by him or his close associates, according to the news report.

Davis told the AP on Monday that the dispute involving Vote2Reduce Debt “was mitigated to a mutually agreed-upon, private, amicable conclusion.”

An EPA ethics lawyer in February 2017 approved of Davis receiving outside compensation for work as sales director for a company called Telephone Town Hall Meeting, which provides services such as robocalls to political campaigns and advocacy groups. The agency redacted how much Davis is to be paid for the agreement, but his outside compensation would also be capped at less than $28,000.

Bowman said Davis’ work for Telephone Town Hall Meeting is conducted on his own time and does not intersect with work for EPA.

Environmentalists said Monday that the agency’s lack of transparency about the private payments to EPA staff on the public’s payroll raises concerns about whom they are really working for.

“The American people already know that Scott Pruitt is working for corporate polluters and not for them, but the revelation that his staff is moonlighting for private clients while working at the EPA full-time brings suspicions of pay-to-play to a whole new level,” said Melinda Pierce, the legislative director of the Sierra Club. “And if Konkus is not working for polluters directly, the public is forced to ask whether he is running a partisan political operation from within the agency instead.”

___

Follow Associated Press environmental writer Michael Biesecker at http://www.twitter.com/mbieseck

Above is from:  https://www.denverpost.com/2018/03/06/epa-scott-pruitt-aid-private-clients/

Solar Panel Farm Proposed to Replace Landfill in Boone County

Solar Panel plans discussed to send recommendation to county board

By: Jerrica Valtierra

Posted: Mar 07, 2018 11:16 PM CST

Updated: Mar 07, 2018 11:16 PM CST

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BELVIDERE - Boone County Board Members are trying to turn an abandoned field, into an energy source.  They met Wednesday night to discuss installing solar panels on a landfill near Squaw Prairie and Fairgrounds Roads.  This is a new idea that has a lot of people excited, some county board members say it's a promising project. But some at the meeting had worries about the property surrounding the landfill.

The landfill closed about 25 years ago.  It's located just East of  Route 76 and Spring Creek Road in Belvidere, but soon, it could be the home of a new solar panel farm.

Jeff Carlisle, Boone County Board Member - Dist 2
"The goal is revenue," said Boone County Board Member Jeff Carlisle.  "The goal is to functionally work with some type of revenue to bring to the county. Solar farms are a valuable part of so we're looking at it."

As of right now, Boone County is in negotiations with a handful of companies that could build the solar farm.  Until the board picks one, It's unclear how much the project will cost, but Carlisle says the panels will provide power for the City of Belvidere and Boone County buildings, which could help them to save on energy costs.

"If we take down some of the costs in our city, [and] county buildings together that's also going to those budgets there ultimately it helps everybody in the long run."

County Administrator Ken Terrinoni says Boon County would earn money through whichever company ultimately ends up building the solar farm.

"It would bring in some lease payment money for county, for the taxpayers, and the company would pay the cost of getting the permits from the Illinois EPA to have a solar farm," said Terrinoni.

"We're getting zero money from the mound and and now were getting small amount of money for the farmland behind it," said Carlisle.  "We're looking at earning 62% on the farmland more, if we put a [solar] panel on it."

Utility providers must adhere to State of Illinois environmental mandates by creating 'green space' like solar farms

"They create these tax incentives that are causing private industries to step forward and say 'hey maybe I can do something with this property, turn it into some value for the landowner as opposed to just being an environmental site that's closed," said Terrinoni. 

Terrinioni adds that the approval for the project is on a tight schedule. Therefore, when the joint City and County Committee meet next week they hope to bring a recommendation to the Boone County Board meeting on the 21st.

Above is from:  http://www.mystateline.com/news/solar-panel-farm-proposed-to-replace-landfill-in-boone-county/1019802629

Boone County government announces vacancies

Posted Mar 6, 2018 at 2:22 PM Updated Mar 6, 2018 at 2:22 PM

BELVIDERE — The Boone County government recently announced vacancies on various volunteer boards.

The board of health has one vacancy that expires July 1; the Belvidere cemetery association has five vacancies that have six-year terms; the sanitary district has one vacancy that has a three-year term and one vacancy that expires May 1, 2019; fire protection districts No. 1, 2, 3 and 5 that have three-year terms; and the Garden Prairie Street Light District has one vacancy has a three-year term.

Interested parties are asked to send a letter and/or resume expressing their interest and qualifications along with their contact information by March 23 to Boone County Board Chairman Karl Johnson, Administration Campus, 1212 Logan Ave., Suite 102, Belvidere, IL 61008.

Above is from:  http://www.rrstar.com/news/20180306/boone-county-government-announces-vacancies

Tension Between IL Trustees, Firefighters Could Impact Voting

Residents in Boone County say enough is enough in the personal matter has gone public.

Susan Vela

March 4, 2018

Rockford Register Star, Ill.

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BELVIDERE — Discord between the Boone County Fire Protection District 2 board of trustees and firefighters has some residents saying enough is enough, and could influence the outcome of a March 20 referendum.

Tensions have been running high since March 2017, when trustees fired Brad Bartell as chief. Then, in February, firefighters were riled by a vulgar sign posted by Trustee Kevin Stark outside his trucking and concrete business in Marengo.

At a board meeting on Monday, trustees accepted Stark's resignation after Belvidere resident Charmaine Cornwell and others in the audience said they were offended by the sign.

"There seems to be some personal issues going on," said Cornwell, a Belvidere resident. "In order for your organization to run smoothly, you need to leave those off the table.

"We're talking about a fire department here that's here to serve and protect our community. The community doesn't care about your personal issues. I'm sure you don't care about mine."

Trustees Jim Marrs and Jack Ryan declined to comment for this story. But their futures are now in the hands of voters, who will decide in a March 20 referendum whether trustees should continue to be appointed by the County Board or elected, beginning in April 2019.

Boone County Board member Cathy Ward, who represents District 2, plans to vote for elected trustees.

"I like elections," she said. "I'm in favor of giving more people the choice to elect who they want."

County Board member Sherry Giesecke, District 1, does not live in the fire district. But she knows what she would like to see in the next trustee.

"I would like to see a trustee that puts the safety of the citizens first before any personal motivations or any political motivations," she said. "That's how I feel. The safety of the citizens is paramount. That has to be the No. 1 reason for anything we do."

Stark's three-year term was set to expire in April.

Stark has declined to comment about the sign controversy.

County Board Chairman Karl Johnson said he'll advertise for the vacant position in the next few weeks.

"It's time for people to start acting like adults," he said. "Let's do what's best for the community as a whole. It needs to be about the community, not about any one group or individual.

"I'm looking for somebody that's going to be level-headed — that's going to evaluate all sides of an issue (and) then make a determination of what's in the best interest of the department."

Boone County Fire Protection District 2 Chief Kent Hulett declined to comment. The district covers about 150 square miles, including the unincorporated communities of Irene, Herbert and Garden Prairie.

Susan Vela: 815-987-1392; svela@rrstar.com; @susanvela

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©2018 Rockford Register Star, Ill.

Visit Rockford Register Star, Ill. at www.rrstar.com

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Above is from:  https://www.firehouse.com/leadership/news/20994820/tension-between-boone-county-trustees-firefighters-could-impact-voting

Youth charged regarding violent threats at Belvidere North

Above is from:  http://www.rrstar.com/news/20180301/teen-arrested-for-allegedly-writing-threats-of-violence-at-belvidere-north

Melania Trump entered US with 'Einstein' visa designated for people with 'extraordinary ability'

Christina Gregg,AOL.com 1 hour 6 minutes ago

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Melania Trump entered US with &#39;Einstein&#39; visa designated for people with &#39;extraordinary ability&#39;

Melania Trump entered the United States in 2001 after receiving a green card visa designated for people with "extraordinary ability," according to a new Washington Post report.

The wife to President Trump was one of only five people from Slovenia who entered the United States in March of 2001 under the EB-1 program, which has been described as the "Einstein visa." This detail surrounding the first lady's immigration journey comes after Melania's own parents recently faced criticism for potentially relying on an immigration process referred to by some as "chain migration" that their son in law wants to end.

In the late '90s and earlier 2000's, a then Melania Knauss could be seen gracing runway shows in Europe, billboard cigarette ads and the pages of Sports Illustrated's swimsuit edition. The EB-1 program, which was written into U.S. immigration policy via the Immigration Act of 1990, was built to let in researchers, business executives and others who demonstrated "sustained national and international acclaim."

According to the Post, over one million green cards were granted in 2001 alone, and only 3,376 were issued to immigration with "extraordinary ability."

Above is from:  https://www.yahoo.com/lifestyle/melania-trump-entered-us-apos-154111962.html

Are Hospitals Becoming Obsolete?

Opinion | Op-Ed Contributor

By EZEKIEL J. EMANUELFEB. 25, 2018

Credit Ángel Franco/The New York Times

Hospitals are disappearing. While they may never completely go away, they will continue to shrink in number and importance. That is inevitable and good.

The reputation of hospitals has had its ups and downs. Benjamin Rush, a surgeon general of the Continental Army, called the hospitals of his day the “sinks of human life.” Through the 19th century, most Americans were treated in their homes. Hospitals were a last resort, places only the very poor or those with no family went. And they went mainly to die.

Then several innovations made hospitals more attractive. Anesthesia and sterile techniques made surgery less risky and traumatic, while the discovery of X-rays in 1895 enhanced the diagnostic powers of physicians. And the understanding of germ theory reduced the spread of infectious diseases.

Middle- and upper-class Americans increasingly turned to hospitals for treatment. Americans also strongly supported the expansion of hospitals through philanthropy and legislation.

Today, hospitals house M.R.I.s, surgical robots and other technological wonders, and at $1.1 trillion they account for about a third of all medical spending. That’s nearly the size of the Spanish economy.

And yet this enormous sector of the economy has actually been in decline for some time.

Consider this: What year saw the maximum number of hospitalizations in the United States? The answer is 1981.

That might surprise you. That year, there were over 39 million hospitalizations — 171 admissions per 1,000 Americans. Thirty-five years later, the population has increased by 40 percent, but hospitalizations have decreased by more than 10 percent. There is now a lower rate of hospitalizations than in 1946. As a result, the number of hospitals has declined to 5,534 this year from 6,933 in 1981.

This is because, in a throwback to the 19th century, hospitals now seem less therapeutic and more life-threatening. In 2002, researchers from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimated that there were 1.7 million cases of hospital-acquired infections that caused nearly 100,000 deaths. Other problems — from falls to medical errors — seem too frequent. It is clear that a hospital admission is not a rejuvenating stay at a spa, but a trial to be endured. And those beeping machines and middle-of-the-night interruptions are not conducive to recovery.

The number of hospitals is also declining because more complex care can safely and effectively be provided elsewhere, and that’s good news.

When I was training to become an oncologist, most chemotherapy was administered in the hospital. Now much better anti-nausea medications and more tolerable oral instead of intravenous treatments have made a hospital admission for chemotherapy unusual. Similarly, hip and knee replacements once required days in the hospital; many can now be done overnight in ambulatory surgical centers. Births outside of hospitals are also increasing, as more women have babies at home or at birthing centers.

Studies have shown that patients with heart failure, pneumonia and some serious infections can be given intravenous antibiotics and other hospital-level treatments at home by visiting nurses. These “hospital at home” programs usually lead to more rapid recoveries, at a lower cost.

As these trends accelerate, many of today’s hospitals will downsize, merge or close. Others will convert to doctors’ offices or outpatient clinics. Those that remain will be devoted to emergency rooms, high-tech services for premature babies, patients requiring brain surgery and organ transplants, and the like. Meanwhile, the nearly one billion annual visits to physicians’ offices, imaging facilities, surgical centers, urgent-care centers and “doc in the box” clinics will grow.

Special interests in the hospital business aren’t going to like this. They will lobby for higher hospital payments from the government and insurers and for other preferential treatment, often arguing that we need to retain the “good” jobs hospitals offer. But this is disingenuous; the shift of medical services out of hospitals will create other good jobs — for home nurses, community health care workers and staff at outpatient centers.

Hospitals will also continue consolidating into huge, multihospital systems. They say that this will generate cost savings that can be passed along to patients, but in fact, the opposite happens. The mergers create local monopolies that raise prices to counter the decreased revenue from fewer occupied beds. Federal antitrust regulators must be more vigorous in opposing such mergers.

Instead of trying to forestall the inevitable, we should welcome the advances that are making hospitals less important. Any change in the health care system that saves money and makes patients healthier deserves to be celebrated.

Ezekiel J. Emanuel is a vice provost at the University of Pennsylvania, the author of “Prescription for the Future” and a partner at Oak HC/FT, a health care investment company.

Follow The New York Times Opinion section on Facebook and Twitter (@NYTopinion), and sign up for the Opinion Today newsletter.

Above is from:  https://www.nytimes.com/2018/02/25/opinion/hospitals-becoming-obsolete.html