FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 5, 2025
CONTACT
Tim Whitehouse, twhitehouse@peer.org, 240-247-0299
EPA’s Zeldin Must Reveal Musk Ties
PEER calls on Zeldin to Protect Confidential Data
Washington, DC — Efforts by Elon Musk, President Trump’s billionaire adviser, to gain access to sensitive U.S. Environmental Protection (EPA) data are illegal and may subject EPA employees and Musk-affiliated individuals to criminal sanctions, according to Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility (PEER). In a letter sent today to EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin, PEER is calling on Zeldin to publicly disclose the databases and information accessed by people affiliated with Musk, as well as the names of the people who accessed the information.
According to news reports, Gautier Cole Killian, a Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) engineer, now appears in EPA’s directory and is working at EPA, according to our sources. DOGE is a Musk-led effort to fire federal workers, cut programs and slash federal regulations. As part of this effort, the Trump administration is allowing DOGE engineers to secretly scrutinize federal agency databases. DOGE already has unprecedented access to government infrastructure like Treasury Department payments, federal employees’ personal data, and contracts and information on international U.S. aid programs.
“Political and financial meddling in EPA’s database by the world’s richest man and his sycophants will spell disaster for our nation’s environment and public health,” said Tim Whitehouse, PEER’s Executive Director. “Federal laws protect sensitive personal and financial information from improper disclosure and misuse and bars disclosure to individuals who lack a lawful and legitimate need for it.”
EPA’s databases not only contain sensitive personal and financial information, but also information on investigations into environmental violations and potential environmental enforcement actions. They also store proprietary information and confidential business information (CBI) submitted by businesses to EPA as required by federal law. It is a crime for EPA employees to disclose CBI information to people without proper clearance.
Musk’s businesses have had conflicts with EPA over permits and regulatory violations and will benefit from slashing environmental rules.
“Lee Zeldin needs to let the public know who is pulling the strings behind the scenes at EPA,” said Whitehouse. “He cannot continue to look the other way as Musk rampages through government agencies in his effort to annihilate environmental protections and gain more power and money in Washington.”
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Read PEER’s letter to Administrator Zeldin
Read the Wire news article on DOGE Engineers
Read the E&E News article on DOGE at EPA (subscription required)