After reviewing documents received pursuant to our FOIA request, we learned that Republican Representative Garrett Graves, US congressman representing Baton Rouge, Lousiana, requested several meetings with the Army Corps and NOAA to urge them to accelerate permit approval for the Summers End project.

On deeper investigation, we found that a major investor in the Summers End Group, Mr. Timothy Litel, an acquaintance of Chaliese Summers from Baton Rouge, had made substantial “campaign contributions” to the Garrett Graves reelection campaign during September 2023.  A few weeks after receiving those “contributions”, Rep. Graves was in contact with the Army Corps and urging them to speed up the permit process.  Apparently in response, the Army Corps changed their request for a formal Section 7 ESA consultation into an “expedited informal” request.

We learned that Mr. Litel had no previous record in the Federal Election Commission records of making campaign contributions.  We also learned that Mr. Litel’s contribution was the largest individual contribution received by Rep. Graves, amounting to $33,400 in two contributions.  And most ironically, Graves did not run for reelection.

The letter below was sent to a wide range of individuals in USACE and NOAA and EPA informing them of what appears to be unethical influence on their environmental reviews.