WASHINGTON, D.C. - Today, the media broke the news that Donald Trump’s EPA Administrator, Scott Pruitt, will illegally attempt to delay the implementation of the 2015 smog pollution standard by one year, yielding to the demands of polluters and their political allies.
In response, Mary Anne Hitt, Director of Sierra Club’s Beyond Coal campaign, released the following statement:
“Once again, the Trump administration is flouting the Clean Air Act and acting illegally by putting polluter profits before the health of our children. An asthma attack cannot be delayed a year and neither can a trip to the emergency room, but those are the real-world consequences of Pruitt’s actions today in attempting to delay a stronger smog pollution standard. Hundreds of medical scientists, doctors, and policy experts have weighed in on the need to strengthen our clean air protections against smog pollution, and Pruitt’s decision shows he would rather listen to a coal executive about what is safe for our families to breathe as opposed to doctors and medical professionals.
“Following the historic mistake of pulling out of the Paris Climate Agreement, Donald Trump and Scott Pruitt have continued their work of undermining our bedrock public health safeguards, at the bidding of polluting industries. Today’s action proves once again that while this administration claims to care about clean air and water, nothing could be further from the truth. We will fight this egregious breach of the Clean Air Act and the right of every American to breathe clean air.”