Ore. AG's Deputy Leaves Office Abruptly Over Claimed Evidence-Gathering Role
While he was a student at Lewis and Clark Law School in Portland, Ore., Brent Foster didn’t hesitate to take an aggressive stance when the institution—which is well-known for its environmental programs—decided to pave over forest and wetlands to create a parking lot.
He sued, reports the Oregonian, and, in effect, won a favorable settlement.
However, the then-dean of the law school warned of the need for compromise and recognition that a lobbying role isn’t always appropriate, and it now appears that he may have had a good point.
Foster, who had been hired in 2008 by Oregon Attorney General John Kroger to lead a high-profile campaign against polluters, abruptly resigned after his claimed evidence-gathering role in a case being prosecuted with the help of the attorney general’s office was questioned, the Oregonian reports in another article.
Foster formerly headed the Columbia Riverkeeper environmental group and accompanied two of its workers on an evidence-gathering expedition in 2009, the newspaper explains.
Foster resigned yesterday, Kroger’s office announced, due to misrepresenting his involvement in a criminal environmental case. The AG said in a press release that he has asked the Marion County district attorney’s office to investigate.
Contacted by the newspaper, Foster said he had been advised by his lawyer not to comment. “I look forward to discussing the details of this,” he told the Oregonian, “but I can’t respond to a 4 p.m. press release.”
Additional coverage:
Willamette Week: “High Profile Enviro Attorney Forced Out of AG’s Office”
Willamette Week: “Turns Out Brent Foster Was Second High-Profile Departure From AG’s Office “
