@EPAScottPruitt hired Albert Kelly, fined by FDIC (bad) banking practices, NO environmental experien

[riversedge]

Albert "Kell" Kelly was a big banker for 34 years in Oklahoma--home state of Scott Pruitt and a good, long time friend of Scott Pruitt. He has NO experience with Public Health, nor in cleaning up the environmental toxic sites!!--just another lacky of Pruitt's from Oklahoma!



EPA says Superfund Task Force left behind little paper trail


http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/wireStory/epa-superfund-task-force-left-paper-trail-51901247

By michael biesecker, associated press

WASHINGTON — Dec 20, 2017, 11:13 PM ET

The Associated Press
WatchWatchdog to investigate EPA chief's $25000 'secure phone booth'



The Environmental Protection Agency says an internal task force appointed to revamp how the nation's most polluted sites are cleaned up generated no record of its deliberations.

EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt in May announced the creation of a Superfund Task Force that he said would reprioritize and streamline procedures for remediating more than 1,300 sites. Pruitt, the former attorney general of Oklahoma, appointed a political supporter from his home state with no experience in pollution cleanups to lead the group.

The task force in June issued a nearly three dozen-page report containing 42 detailed recommendations, all of which Pruitt immediately adopted. The advocacy group Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility, known as PEER, quickly filed a Freedom of Information Act request seeking a long list of documents related to the development of Pruitt's plan.

After EPA didn't immediately release any records, PEER sued in federal court in Washington.

Now, nearly six months after the task force released its report, a lawyer for EPA has written PEER to say that the task force had no agenda for its meetings, kept no minutes and used no reference materials other than Pruitt's memo appointing them.

Further, there were no written standards for choosing the 107 EPA employees the agency says served on the task force.

"Task force members were all volunteers from EPA staff with no selection criteria," Johnny Walker, a Justice Department lawyer representing EPA, wrote to PEER last month. "Meeting minutes were not kept and materials (other than the May 22, 2017 memorandum) were not presented to the Superfund Task Force."

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President Donald Trump's proposed 2018 budget seeks to cut the program by 30 percent. Congress has not yet approved a budget for the current fiscal year, which began in October.

The task force was led by Albert "Kell" Kelly, whom Pruitt hired at EPA as a senior adviser at an annual salary of $172,100. Kelly was previously the chairman of Tulsa-based SpiritBank, where he worked as an executive for 34 years.



The Associated Press reported in August that Kelly was barred by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation from working for any U.S. financial institution after officials determined he violated laws or regulations, leading to a financial loss for his bank. The FDIC's order didn't detail what Kelly is alleged to have done. Without admitting wrongdoing, he agreed to pay a $125,000 penalty.





I did a bit of a google search on Albert Kelly:


Banking 'bulldog' now top Pruitt adviser

https://www.eenews.net/stories/1060055235

Kevin Bogardus and Mike Soraghan, E&E News reporters

Greenwire: Friday, May 26, 2017





Albert “Kell” Kelly testified before the Senate Banking Committee in 2011 as chairman and CEO of SpiritBank. Now, he’s serving as a senior adviser to U.S. EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt and is leading the agency’s Superfund task force. C-SPAN




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Despite Kelly's expertise in finance, his career hasn't touched on environmental policy, let alone grappling with Superfund, one of EPA's most complex programs. That has worried Superfund supporters.

"He's just another Wall Street guy. I'm sure he's a fine fellow, but this is not where we want him," said Lois Gibbs, founder of the Center for Health, Environment & Justice.
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She questioned whether Kelly has the experience to transform the cleanup program, where toxic sites have lingered for years waiting for federal action. Superfund's budget would also be cut by more than $300 million under President Trump's proposal for the next fiscal year (Greenwire, May 23).

"To bring in someone who is absolutely clueless about the agency and the million moving parts of this program, it's really frightening," Gibbs said. "If you don't know anything about the program, how are you supposed to guide it?"...............................................................

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Pruitt's Superfund point man penalized by banking regulators

https://www.eenews.net/stories/1060059295

August 28, 2017


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A former banker who is now U.S. EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt's point man for Superfund has been fined $125,000 by federal banking regulators and barred from banking activity.

Albert "Kell" Kelly, former chairman of Oklahoma-based SpiritBank, signed the consent agreement with the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. (FDIC) about two weeks before he was announced as the chairman of EPA's task force on streamlining Superfund in May (Greenwire, May 23).
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But they state that Kelly "engaged or participated in a violation of law or regulation, unsafe or unsound practice, and/or breach of fiduciary duty" at SpiritBank. The violation, according to FDIC, caused the bank to suffer financial loss or other damage and involved "willful or continuing disregard" for the interests of the bank.


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...............EPA officials said Kelly brought a "strong management component" to the task force, which is a key part of Pruitt's "back-to-basics" approach at the agency. He is one of several people Pruitt brought to the agency from his home state of Oklahoma.

Kelly has contributed more than $200,000 over the years to federal and state campaigns, usually to Republicans. Among his contributions were at least $2,750 to Pruitt and $2,000 to the Trump campaign. But he had earlier contributed to the campaign of former Republican Florida Gov. Jeb Bush.

Kelly's bank also lent money to a partnership, which included Pruitt, that bought a minor league baseball team in Oklahoma City in 2003. SpiritBank also provided "acquisition financing" when the team was sold in 2010 (Greenwire, May 26).

[northoftheborder]

1. How deep can they go?

Into hell.

[riversedge]

2. Maddow is going to cover this story after the commercial

[riversedge]

3. Kelly is Scott Pruitt's bank back home in Oklahoma.