Steven Griles
Encyclopedia
James Steven "Steve" Griles (born December 13, 1947) was a coal industry lobbyist
and the United States Deputy Secretary of the Interior
during the George W. Bush administration from July 12, 2001, until his resignation on December 7, 2004.
Griles held the second-ranking position at the United States Department of the Interior
, ranking below only the Secretary of the Interior
, at the time Gale Norton
.
Griles "effectively was Interior's chief operating officer
...and its top representative on Vice President
Dick Cheney's
energy task force
. In 2007, he pleaded guilty to obstruction of justice
in the Senate
investigation of the Abramoff scandal, the top Bush administration official to do so. He was sentenced to a fine and 10 months imprisonment.
, Griles earned his bachelor's degree
from the University of Richmond
in 1970.
Griles was formerly a principal with National Environmental Strategies, Inc. (NES), a public affairs
firm that provided advice and lobbying services to companies, trade associations and others regarding policy, regulatory, environmental and energy issues at the Federal and State government level. Prior to joining NES, he was Senior Vice President for Public, Environmental and Marketing Activities for the United Company
. Located in Bristol, Virginia
, the United Company was a diversified natural resources company with select diversification in non-energy areas, with operations in coal, oil and gas, cogeneration, gold mining, manufacturing, real estate, hotels, and golf operations with both domestic and foreign interests.
Griles worked in the Reagan administration
as deputy director of the Office of Surface Mining, Department of the Interior from 1981 to 1983, and as assistant secretary and deputy assistant secretary of the Interior for Lands and Minerals Management (1983-1989).
. Second in rank only to Norton, Griles effectively was Interior's chief operating officer and its top representative on Vice President Dick Cheney
's energy task force.
Upon taking the job of Deputy Secretary, Griles was allowed to receive payments totaling more than $1 million from 2001 to 2005 as part of a buyout by NES while collecting his $150,000 annual federal salary. This was allowed only under conditions approved by the Office of Government Ethics and the Senate, and Griles signed a written agreement stating he would recuse himself from "any particular matter involving specific parties in which any of [his] former clients is or represents a party."
However, a Freedom of Information Act
request in September 2002 turned up evidence that Griles had met with former clients in the fossil fuel
industries, despite the agreement. Griles resigned after an 18-month investigation by the Department's Inspector General concluded that Griles indeed had contact with former NES clients in violation of the agreement, although the report did not accuse Griles of violating any laws or federal ethics rules.
David Hirsch, a director for Friends of the Earth
, said of Griles: "he spent four years working for his former clients at the Department of Interior. It didn't seem to matter how many problems came out, he just kept going. He's the Energizer Bunny
of conflict of interest."
's private emails indicated that Griles had pledged to use his authority to block a casino which Abramoff was lobbying against. Abramoff also indicated that he was interested in hiring Griles.
Furthermore, Griles was involved with donations made to Council of Republicans for Environmental Advocacy
, run by his then-girlfriend, Italia Federici
. Donations were made to CREA by both Abramoff's tribal clients and by energy-sector companies with connections to Griles.
Upon leaving office, Griles joined with two other political veterans (former White House national energy policy director Andrew Lundquist and former House
member George Nethercutt
) to form the political lobbying firm of Lundquist, Nethercutt & Griles, LLC.
On January 10, 2007, the United States Department of Justice
notified Griles that charges would be brought against him for making false statements in his 2005 testimony.
On that date Griles resigned from Lundquist, Nethercutt & Griles. He pleaded guilty to obstruction of justice
charges on March 23, 2007. On June 8, 2007, Federici pleaded guilty to tax evasion and obstruction of justice.
On June 26 Griles was sentenced to a $30,000 fine and 10 months imprisonment, with some harsh words from Judge Ellen Huvelle, who doubled his prison sentence, telling the former second-ranking Interior Department official: "Even now, you continue to minimize and try to excuse your conduct."
Lobbying
Lobbying is the act of attempting to influence decisions made by officials in the government, most often legislators or members of regulatory agencies. Lobbying is done by various people or groups, from private-sector individuals or corporations, fellow legislators or government officials, or...
and the United States Deputy Secretary of the Interior
United States Deputy Secretary of the Interior
The Deputy Secretary of the Interior, in the United States government, advises and assists the Secretary of the Interior in the supervision and direction of the Department of the Interior and its activities, and succeeds the Secretary in his or her absence, sickness, or unavailability. The Deputy...
during the George W. Bush administration from July 12, 2001, until his resignation on December 7, 2004.
Griles held the second-ranking position at the United States Department of the Interior
United States Department of the Interior
The United States Department of the Interior is the United States federal executive department of the U.S. government responsible for the management and conservation of most federal land and natural resources, and the administration of programs relating to Native Americans, Alaska Natives, Native...
, ranking below only the Secretary of the Interior
United States Secretary of the Interior
The United States Secretary of the Interior is the head of the United States Department of the Interior.The US Department of the Interior should not be confused with the concept of Ministries of the Interior as used in other countries...
, at the time Gale Norton
Gale Norton
Gale Ann Norton served as the 48th United States Secretary of the Interior from 2001 to 2006 under President George W. Bush...
.
Griles "effectively was Interior's chief operating officer
Chief operating officer
A Chief Operating Officer or Director of Operations can be one of the highest-ranking executives in an organization and comprises part of the "C-Suite"...
...and its top representative on Vice President
Vice President of the United States
The Vice President of the United States is the holder of a public office created by the United States Constitution. The Vice President, together with the President of the United States, is indirectly elected by the people, through the Electoral College, to a four-year term...
Dick Cheney's
Dick Cheney
Richard Bruce "Dick" Cheney served as the 46th Vice President of the United States , under George W. Bush....
energy task force
Energy Task Force
The Energy Task Force, officially the National Energy Policy Development Group , was a task force created by then-U.S. President George W. Bush in 2001 during his second week in office. Vice President Dick Cheney was named chairman...
. In 2007, he pleaded guilty to obstruction of justice
Obstruction of justice
The crime of obstruction of justice, in United States jurisdictions, refers to the crime of interfering with the work of police, investigators, regulatory agencies, prosecutors, or other officials...
in the Senate
United States Senate
The United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the United States, and together with the United States House of Representatives comprises the United States Congress. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution. Each...
investigation of the Abramoff scandal, the top Bush administration official to do so. He was sentenced to a fine and 10 months imprisonment.
| Pled guilty | Sentenced | Sentence | Started serving | Current location |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| March 23, 2007 | June 26, 2007 | 10 months | September 14, 2007 | Released |
Earlier life and career
Born in Clover, VirginiaClover, Virginia
Clover is a census-designated place in Halifax County, Virginia, United States. The population as of the 2010 Census was 438. Clover was an incorporated town from 1895 until 1998, when it reverted to unincorporated status.Clover is located at ....
, Griles earned his bachelor's degree
Bachelor's degree
A bachelor's degree is usually an academic degree awarded for an undergraduate course or major that generally lasts for three or four years, but can range anywhere from two to six years depending on the region of the world...
from the University of Richmond
University of Richmond
The University of Richmond is a selective, private, nonsectarian, liberal arts university located on the border of the city of Richmond and Henrico County, Virginia. The University of Richmond is a primarily undergraduate, residential university with approximately 4,000 undergraduate and graduate...
in 1970.
Griles was formerly a principal with National Environmental Strategies, Inc. (NES), a public affairs
Public policy
Public policy as government action is generally the principled guide to action taken by the administrative or executive branches of the state with regard to a class of issues in a manner consistent with law and institutional customs. In general, the foundation is the pertinent national and...
firm that provided advice and lobbying services to companies, trade associations and others regarding policy, regulatory, environmental and energy issues at the Federal and State government level. Prior to joining NES, he was Senior Vice President for Public, Environmental and Marketing Activities for the United Company
United Company
The United Company was a London theatre company formed in 1682 with the merger of the King's Company and the Duke's Company.Both the Duke's and King's Companies suffered poor attendance during the turmoil of the Popish Plot period, 1678–81...
. Located in Bristol, Virginia
Bristol, Virginia
Bristol is an independent city in Virginia, United States, bounded by Washington County, Virginia, Bristol, Tennessee, and Sullivan County, Tennessee....
, the United Company was a diversified natural resources company with select diversification in non-energy areas, with operations in coal, oil and gas, cogeneration, gold mining, manufacturing, real estate, hotels, and golf operations with both domestic and foreign interests.
Griles worked in the Reagan administration
Reagan Administration
The United States presidency of Ronald Reagan, also known as the Reagan administration, was a Republican administration headed by Ronald Reagan from January 20, 1981, to January 20, 1989....
as deputy director of the Office of Surface Mining, Department of the Interior from 1981 to 1983, and as assistant secretary and deputy assistant secretary of the Interior for Lands and Minerals Management (1983-1989).
Department of Interior
Griles was confirmed as Deputy to Interior Secretary Gale NortonGale Norton
Gale Ann Norton served as the 48th United States Secretary of the Interior from 2001 to 2006 under President George W. Bush...
. Second in rank only to Norton, Griles effectively was Interior's chief operating officer and its top representative on Vice President Dick Cheney
Dick Cheney
Richard Bruce "Dick" Cheney served as the 46th Vice President of the United States , under George W. Bush....
's energy task force.
Upon taking the job of Deputy Secretary, Griles was allowed to receive payments totaling more than $1 million from 2001 to 2005 as part of a buyout by NES while collecting his $150,000 annual federal salary. This was allowed only under conditions approved by the Office of Government Ethics and the Senate, and Griles signed a written agreement stating he would recuse himself from "any particular matter involving specific parties in which any of [his] former clients is or represents a party."
However, a Freedom of Information Act
Freedom of Information Act (United States)
The Freedom of Information Act is a federal freedom of information law that allows for the full or partial disclosure of previously unreleased information and documents controlled by the United States government. The Act defines agency records subject to disclosure, outlines mandatory disclosure...
request in September 2002 turned up evidence that Griles had met with former clients in the fossil fuel
Fossil fuel
Fossil fuels are fuels formed by natural processes such as anaerobic decomposition of buried dead organisms. The age of the organisms and their resulting fossil fuels is typically millions of years, and sometimes exceeds 650 million years...
industries, despite the agreement. Griles resigned after an 18-month investigation by the Department's Inspector General concluded that Griles indeed had contact with former NES clients in violation of the agreement, although the report did not accuse Griles of violating any laws or federal ethics rules.
David Hirsch, a director for Friends of the Earth
Friends of the Earth
Friends of the Earth International is an international network of environmental organizations in 76 countries.FOEI is assisted by a small secretariat which provides support for the network and its agreed major campaigns...
, said of Griles: "he spent four years working for his former clients at the Department of Interior. It didn't seem to matter how many problems came out, he just kept going. He's the Energizer Bunny
Energizer Bunny
The Energizer Bunny is the marketing icon and mascot of Energizer batteries in North America. It is a pink toy rabbit wearing sunglasses and blue and white striped sandals that beats a bass drum bearing the Energizer logo. It is a parody of the preexistent Duracell Bunny, still seen in Europe and...
of conflict of interest."
Abramoff scandal
Griles was also asked to testify before the Senate Indian Affairs Committee in the 2005 investigation of the Abramoff scandal. Jack AbramoffJack Abramoff
Jack Abramoff is an American former lobbyist and businessman. Convicted in 2006 of mail fraud and conspiracy, he was at the heart of an extensive corruption investigation that led to the conviction of White House officials J. Steven Griles and David Safavian, U.S. Representative Bob Ney, and nine...
's private emails indicated that Griles had pledged to use his authority to block a casino which Abramoff was lobbying against. Abramoff also indicated that he was interested in hiring Griles.
Furthermore, Griles was involved with donations made to Council of Republicans for Environmental Advocacy
Council of Republicans for Environmental Advocacy
Council of Republicans for Environmental Advocacy is a Republican environmental organization founded in 1998 by Gale Norton, who in 2001 became George W. Bush's U.S. Secretary of the Interior...
, run by his then-girlfriend, Italia Federici
Italia Federici
Italia Federici , the former president of the Council of Republicans for Environmental Advocacy . Federici was also a political aide to Secretary of the Interior and CREA co-founder Gale Norton...
. Donations were made to CREA by both Abramoff's tribal clients and by energy-sector companies with connections to Griles.
Upon leaving office, Griles joined with two other political veterans (former White House national energy policy director Andrew Lundquist and former House
United States House of Representatives
The United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...
member George Nethercutt
George Nethercutt
George R. Nethercutt, Jr. is an American politician, and is the founder and chairman of The George Nethercutt Foundation. He was a Republican member of the United States House of Representatives from 1995 to 2005, representing ....
) to form the political lobbying firm of Lundquist, Nethercutt & Griles, LLC.
On January 10, 2007, the United States Department of Justice
United States Department of Justice
The United States Department of Justice , is the United States federal executive department responsible for the enforcement of the law and administration of justice, equivalent to the justice or interior ministries of other countries.The Department is led by the Attorney General, who is nominated...
notified Griles that charges would be brought against him for making false statements in his 2005 testimony.
On that date Griles resigned from Lundquist, Nethercutt & Griles. He pleaded guilty to obstruction of justice
Obstruction of justice
The crime of obstruction of justice, in United States jurisdictions, refers to the crime of interfering with the work of police, investigators, regulatory agencies, prosecutors, or other officials...
charges on March 23, 2007. On June 8, 2007, Federici pleaded guilty to tax evasion and obstruction of justice.
On June 26 Griles was sentenced to a $30,000 fine and 10 months imprisonment, with some harsh words from Judge Ellen Huvelle, who doubled his prison sentence, telling the former second-ranking Interior Department official: "Even now, you continue to minimize and try to excuse your conduct."