Friends of the Earth

J. Steven Griles

Press Release - Groups Demand that Bush Oust #2 at Interior over Ethics Violations - Sept. 25, 2002

Press Release - Deputy Secretary of the Interior Commits Flagrant Ethics Violations - May 25, 2002

Deputy Secretary J. Steven Griles first recusal agreement on disqualification from matters involving former employers and clients - Dated Aug. 1, 2001

Letter from J. Steven Griles to EPA on Powder River Basin coal bed methane environmental impact statement - Dated April 12, 2002

Click here for a more readable version.

Deputy Secretary J. Steven Griles second recusal agreement from Matters Involving Coalbed Methane environmental impact statements - Dated May 8, 2002

Memo from Interior Department lawyers saying Griles did not violate his ethical contract, but had him sign another recusal agreement- to "reemphasize" the first - Dated May 3, 2002

The Case against J. Steven Griles - Memo detailing conflict of interest violations within the Interior Department

View it in pdf format

Read the letter opposing the nomination of J. Steven Griles as Deputy Secretary of the U.S. Department of the Interior - June 4, 2001

Environmentalists Fight Mining Industry Lobbyist Confirmation for Deputy Secretary of Interior: Friends of the Earth calls J. Steven Griles "Coal and Oil Industry's Mike Tyson" -- May 16, 2001

Read Brent Blackwelder's Testimony on Griles.

Letter to EPA from Griles

United States Department of the Interior
THE DEPUTY SECRETARY
Washington, D.C. 20240

Memorandum April 12, 2002

To: Linda Fisher, Deputy Administrator, EPA

From: J. Steven Griles

Subject: Proposed EPA Region 8 Letter on Coalbed Methane - EIS's Prepared by the Department of the Interior - Wyoming and Montana

I learned yesterday that your Region 8 Acting Director is proposing to send a letter indicating the above draft EIS's are deficient from a water quality analysis. The Acting Director is taking this significant action despite the fact that the Regional Administrator for Region 8 starts on Monday, April 15, 2002.

Over the last several months, Department of the Interior officials have met with EPA officials several times. DOI offered EPA the opportunity to be a cooperating agency in the coalbed methane EIS. EPA accepted in Montana and declined in Wyoming.

DOI has requested EPA to provide information at those meetings which support EPA's assumptions and concerns. To date that has not happened. Another meeting with Washington headquarters EPA staff and DOI headquarters staff occurred in February. Again DOI asked for a list of issues of concern. Again nothing has been received.

Now we are informed that Region 8 may issue today an insufficiency letter, attempting to elevate the EIS's to CEQ.

In view of the efforts of DOI to include EPA as a cooperating agency and several unanswered requests for information, I hope you will consider the best means of addressing EPA's concerns together versus sending a letter that will create, at best, misimpressions and possibly impede the ability to move forward in a constructive manner.