As President Donald Trump trumpets plans for steep cuts to EPA’s budget, two of his nominees for top agency posts have extensive ties to industries that stand to benefit from weakened regulations and less enforcement, newly released disclosure reports show.
David Fotouhi is on tap to become EPA deputy administrator, while Aaron Szabo would head the agency’s Office of Air and Radiation. The Senate Environment and Public Works Committee has scheduled a joint confirmation hearing for the pair Wednesday.
As an attorney with the firm of Gibson, Dunn and Crutcher, Fotouhi in the last two years has provided services to heavyweights like Texas-based power provider Luminant Generation; the American Forest and Paper Association; and Matador Resources, a Texas-based oil and gas driller, according to a recently filed financial disclosure report with the Office of Government Ethics.
They are among dozens of business clients listed by Fotouhi in the disclosure. Although the filing does not detail the services provided, all three have clashed with EPA in recent years.
