A push by Environment and Public Works ranking member Sheldon Whitehouse to uncover who is influencing Trump administration climate policy is yielding swift — and personal — pushback from conservative groups.
Whitehouse requested last month that various companies and advocacy groups hand over troves of internal documents that could potentially link them to EPA’s plan to overturn the so-called endangerment finding, which underpins over 15 years of climate regulations.
His probe targeted oil companies like Shell, BP and Chevron, as well as conservative think tanks like the Heritage Foundation and the Heartland Institute. In total, 24 groups and companies received requests from the Rhode Island Democrat for documents.
At least three of the conservative organizations have pushed back, slamming Whitehouse for what they perceived as an overreach of his authority and an unfair characterization of their influence on EPA policies.
