When local officials put the site online two months later, Wehrum’s deputy ordered it pulled down, the report said. The website “was online for about an hour before the then-deputy assistant administrator for Air and Radiation directed Region 5 to take the webpage down,” according to the inspector general.
Wehrum did not immediately respond to a request for comment from CNN.
“The fact that senior Trump Administration EPA officials impeded the release of information to communities regarding the health risks of ethylene oxide exposure is about as contradictory to the agency’s mission of protecting the public as you can get,” said Sen. Tom Carper, the Democrat who chairs the committee overseeing the EPA and one of several lawmakers who requested the inspector general review.
Wehrum’s work at the EPA included the Trump administration’s replacement of Obama-era rules on power plants. Prior to joining EPA, Wehrum’s clients included oil, gas, and coal companies.