Chairman of the House Science, Space and Technology Committee Lamar Smith (R-Texas) asked the Environmental Protection Agency on Thursday for information on the use of alias and private email accounts used for official business by EPA staff.
The request came in a letter from Smith and Oversight Subcommittee Chairman Paul Broun (R-Ga.) to EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy. Committee members have written to the agency’s administrator three times regarding the use of dual, secondary or non-public email accounts since November.
“The response from the agency thus far has been incomplete and inadequate,” Smith said. “The EPA has shown a blatant disregard for basic principles of transparency, and as more information has come out, it appears that the agency has knowingly failed to correct this behavior.”
A federal judge ruled in August that the EPA may have used personal email accounts to avoid disclosure under the Freedom of Information Act. The same judge said the EPA’s explanations were inconsistent and undermined confidence in its honesty.
Recent articles published by the Associated Press also identified trends in the use of alternate emails by EPA staff as well as other federal agencies.
“Due to the agency’s non-responsiveness, it is apparent the EPA does not have appropriate procedures in place to collect, maintain and access records created by personal email accounts or secret aliases,” Smith said.