In a press release from July 19, Michael Chamberlain, the Director at “Protect the Public’s Trust, questioned the so-called “revolving door” move of Casey Katims, who recently left the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to join the U.S. Climate Alliance (USCA). Chamberlain said that EPA documents were obtained which show Katims to have had a long-standing relationship with the Alliance.
“The American public is inherently skeptical of the revolving door between federal service and powerful special interests. That skepticism is heightened when an official who recently marched through that revolving door talks about blending, braiding, and stacking federal funds in his new position. This represents another example where, despite the Biden Administration’s claims to the contrary, the revolving door is spinning faster than ever.” Protect the Public Trust Director Michael Chamberlain said.
According to a press release issued on July 19, the U.S. Climate Alliance (USCA) announced on April 19, 2022, that Casey Katims, who previously held the position of Deputy Associate Administrator for Intergovernmental Relations at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), has now been appointed as the Executive Director of the Alliance.
According to the “Protect the Public’s Trust” press release, the USCA was created in 2017 in response to President Trump's decision to withdraw from the 2015 Paris Climate Accord. The Alliance received funding from the United Nations Foundation and has connections to Arabella Advisors' New Venture Fund, which the press release reported supports "left-wing causes".
According to the press release, Katims served as a state official under Jay Inslee, Washington Governor and co-founder of the U.S. Climate Alliance. Internal documents from the EPA recently acquired by Protect the Public's Trust showed that Katims maintained a close association with the U.S. Climate Alliance while serving as an appointee at the EPA under the Biden administration.
According to the press release, while working for the EPA, Katims engaged in bi-weekly meetings and continued to have ongoing email correspondence with the Alliance, becoming a sort of financial advisor for climate change. He played a role in providing maximum benefits to Alliance states based on recent legislation. Katims was quoted saying, “A lot of these funds can be blended and braided and stacked to strengthen the work across each of the different programs.” After departing from the EPA, Katims’ influence in guiding the member states appeared to be the same, leading to the press release to criticize him as a candidate for the revolving door.
According to Wikipedia, the term "revolving door" refers to a scenario where individuals interchangeably transition between positions as legislators and regulators, on one side, and members of the industries impacted by the legislation and regulation, on the other.
According to its website, Protect the Public's Trust is a dedicated initiative aimed at upholding a singular standard, encompassing one set of rules that our leaders must adhere to, irrespective of their party affiliation or ideological inclinations. By conducting thorough research and promoting awareness, our mission is to monitor and enlighten the American public about self-dealing, conflicts of interest, as well as improper and illegal conduct exhibited by senior officials throughout the government.
"Protect the Public's Trust" is a dedicated initiative aimed at promoting a single standard for all government officials, regardless of party affiliation, by monitoring and exposing self-dealing, conflicts of interest, and improper conduct.
