Rudhdi Karnik, rudhdi.karnik@sierraclub.org, 202-495-3055
WASHINGTON D.C.-- Tomorrow, the U.S. Senate will vote on whether or not to approve Donald Trump’s nomination of Scott Pruitt as head of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
In response, Sierra Club’s Executive Director Michael Brune released the following statement:
“Tomorrow, the Senate will have the choice between appointing the most dangerous EPA administrator in history or giving our families a shot at clean air and clean water by rejecting Scott Pruitt. Based on his record, the appointment of climate change-denying, fossil fuel ally Scott Pruitt would be a complete environmental and public health disaster. Scott Pruitt has taken millions from corporate polluters, and has protected their interests at every turn.
“He cannot be trusted to head the EPA, an agency charged with protecting all Americans from threats to their water, air, and health. When it came to protecting his own constituents from the growing threats of earthquakes caused by the fracking process and dangerous coal ash pollution, Pruitt turned his back on Oklahoma families by doing nothing and instead protected the corporate polluters from whom he’s raked in huge campaign contributions. He is a relentless opponent of the most necessary health protections, such as those that safeguard our families from harmful smog or air pollution in national parks, and even went so far as to question whether mercury pollution, a known toxin, is dangerous to public health.
“With his many conflicts of interest, secretive alliances, and multiple lawsuits against the EPA itself, Pruitt undoubtedly is unfit for the job.
“This is not about partisan politics-- this is about protecting lives. We strongly urge all Senators to stand by American families and reject this dangerous nomination.”