Congressman Diane Black is facing reports that she helped a truck dealer in her district get around federal pollution and safety rules.
A New York Times investigation published Thursday finds that the Republican lawmaker helped preserve a loophole that let a Crossville dealer put hundreds of diesel trucks on the road with outdated technology.
That company and its owner later gave at least $225,000 dollars to Black’s gubernatorial campaign, mainly through the use of shell companies to circumvent Tennessee laws limiting corporate donations.
A spokesman for Black denies any wrongdoing.
“There are very few companies willing to try and keep manufacturing jobs in rural Tennessee today and Diane fights hard to support the few that do,” Chris Hartline said in an email. “Diane does her best to help all constituents that walk through her door, regardless of their politics — that’s her job.”
The questions center on Fitzgerald Glider Kits, a firm that outfits the shells of big rigs — known as “gliders” — with salvaged engines. These trucks produce far more pollution than new ones with modern emission controls, and they often lack the collision avoidance systems and electronic logs required under current federal law.
Under President Obama, the Environmental Protection Agency considered rules making glider rigs follow the same emissions standards. Black responded by introducing a bill that could have blocked the rules. That measure did not pass, and the Obama administration implemented tougher requirements in its final year. But under President Trump,
the EPA has reversed course.
Meanwhile, Fitzgerald has become a major donor to Black’s campaign for governor. Her most recent fundraising disclosures show the company has made at least $127,000 in contributions, many through shell companies that get around Tennessee’s legal limits on corporate donations.
The New York Times investigation identifies nearly $100,000 more from individuals and entities tied to Fitzgerald.
Owner Tommy Fitzgerald tells the newspaper that Black’s intervention and the EPA’s reversal were not favors. They were done to save jobs at his plant.
Hartline, Black’s spokesman, echoes that line of argument:
“She has fought tirelessly against executive overreach and for the preservation of manufacturing jobs in Tennessee, including those of the hundreds of Middle Tennesseans who work in this industry. Along with Sen. Corker and other members of the Tennessee delegation, she worked for years to make their voices heard — and that’s her job. Diane has every confidence that sensible regulators can promote safety and American manufacturing at the same time.
“In this case, the Obama administration attempted to impose a rule that it had no legal authority to impose and Diane was proud to oppose it. It’s a rule she’s fought against since 2014.”
But Democrats say the relationship is questionable:
“Every Tennessean needs to know the air they breathe is safe and clean. It is extremely disturbing that Rep. Black would put families at higher risk of lung cancer and asthma in exchange for campaign contributions,” Tennessee Democratic Party chair Mary Mancini said in a written statement.
“Unfortunately, this is not new for Rep. Black. She has a history of this kind of ‘pay to play’ behavior going back to her time in the state legislature when she steered millions of dollars in government contracts to her husband’s company. This is just another example of Rep. Black abusing the trust of her constituents and using her elected position to benefit herself.”
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