Scott Pruitt, former embattled head of the Environmental Protection
Agency, registered as an energy lobbyist in Indiana on Thursday and his
sole client appears to have ties to Terre Haute-based Sunrise Coal.
Pruitt
has filed with the Indiana Lobby Registration Commission, and his sole
client was listed as RailPoint Solutions LLC, a Delaware corporation
created in January that has no listed street address or website,
according to Associated Press.
But Pruitt's form lists the name
Heather Tryon as the company's manager. That's also the name of the
chief financial officer of Terre Haute-based Sunrise Coal, which
operates four coal mines in the state.
Tryon
could not be reached for comment Friday, nor could Roy Dressler, who is
listed as director of communications for Sunrise Coal, which is
headquartered at 1183 E. Canvasback Drive in Terre Haute.
According
to the Sunrise website, it is a wholly owned subsidiary of Hallador
Energy Company and is Indiana’s second largest coal producer.
Sunrise
is focused on developing coal reserves in the Illinois Basin and it has
mines in Sullivan, Knox and Clay County as well as a mine in Vermilion
County, Illinois.
According to the Associated Press, the lobbying disclosure report for
Pruitt provided little insight into precisely what he's doing in
Indiana, but it did indicate he is a self-employed consultant who would
be lobbying on issues involving energy and natural resources.
As
EPA administrator, Pruitt was a staunch advocate for the continued use
of coal and other fossil fuels while often downplaying the potential
risks from climate change. He was forced to resign last year amid a wave
of ethics scandals, including living in a bargain-priced Capitol Hill
condo tied to an energy lobbyist.
He also spent more than $40,000 on a soundproof phone booth for his office at the EPA, among other incidents.
Two
Indiana utilities recently announced plans to shutter nearly all their
coal-fired power plants in the state. The Indiana Coal Council has filed
appeals with state regulators seeking to block the plant closures.
Meanwhile,
some Republicans in the Indiana House had been pushing a measure that
seeks to put a moratorium on the construction of new gas-fired power
plants or wind farms.