John Rogers
Role at the time: Union of Concerned Scientists energy analyst writing original commentary
Statement summary
In a Union of Concerned Scientists blog post, Rogers reviews claims by states and members of Congress that the buyouts may violate the Administrative Procedure Act, the National Environmental Policy Act, the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act, the Judgment Fund Act and the Antideficiency Act. He calls the source of the funds one of the deals' biggest apparent legal deficiencies and concludes that the scheme disregards process and legality.
“All of the filings and documents point to one thing: a strong suspicion, based in law, that this scheme is yet another example of the Trump administration using a wrecking ball without regard to process or to legality.”
Why we used this label
Relative to whether the payments complied with the Judgment Fund Act, Rogers calls the source of the funds one of the buyouts' biggest apparent legal deficiencies and concludes that the scheme disregards process and legality. He criticizes the legal basis for the payments, so condemns fits.