Kenneth Wagner, a senior official at the Environmental Protection Agency with close ties to former state attorney general Scott Pruitt, is Gov.-elect Kevin Stitt's appointment for secretary of energy and the environment, the governor-elect's transition office announced Wednesday.
Wagner, 53, was hired by Pruitt, the former EPA administrator who resigned this year amid numerous ethics complaints.
Prior to the EPA post, Wagner registered a shell company used by Pruitt to purchase the home of an Oklahoma City lobbyist for a significant discount, according to an April article from The New York Times.
The same article reported that, as state attorney general, Pruitt awarded more than $600,000 in contracts to Wagner's Tulsa-based law firm, Latham, Wagner Steele & Lehman.
Wagner's ties to Pruitt also include serving as treasurer of Pruitt's political action committee, part owner of the Oklahoma City RedHawks minor league baseball team, and graduating in the same 1993 class at the University of Tulsa College of Law.
Donelle Harder, a spokeswoman for Stitt's transition office, said Wagner's connection with Pruitt was not a consideration, adding that Stitt had no previous connection with the former EPA administer.
"Kevin was connected to Ken Wagner because of his strong reputation as an attorney in Tulsa," Harder said. "Never did it cross our mind his political history, because all we've ever heard as we began exploring people for this position was about Ken's strong reputation, not only with environmental groups, but also working with neighboring states (while with the EPA)."
In 2013, Gov. Mary Fallin combined the positions of secretary of energy and secretary of environment when she appointed Michael Teague, who remains in that position today.
The secretary is a member of the governor's cabinet and oversees the state's environmental departments, including the Water Resources Board and the Department of Environmental Quality. The secretary also works to develop policies that encourage safe energy exploration, according to the governor's office.
On Wednesday, energy officials celebrated the appointment of Wagner, including Chad Warmington, president of Oklahoma Oil & Gas Association.
"His experience in dealing with regulations regarding energy production will ensure our state continues to implement rational and reasonable policies that encourage the responsible production of Oklahoma's oil and natural gas," Warmington said in a statement.
While at the EPA, Wagner said environmental protection and economic development don't have to be at odds.
"This idea that somehow farmers and ranchers, private land owners or those who extract minerals from the earth do not care about clean land and clean air and clean water is simply false," Wagner said during a 2017 speech in Kentucky. "It's a false narrative to believe you can't be pro-environment and pro a growing economy and pro a healthy economy."
(c)2018 The Oklahoman
