Gabby Brown, gabby.brown@sierraclub.org
Washington, DC -- Interior Secretary Zinke claims to be a geologist, but he can’t figure out how to stop digging himself deeper into a hole over his disastrous handling of the administration’s draft offshore drilling plan.
Following Axios’s report that Donald Trump is angry with Zinke over his announcement on Twitter -- apparently made without consulting anyone else in the administration -- that Florida would be exempted from the plan, Zinke went on an apology tour to try to get back in Trump’s good graces and explain why his -- possibly illegal -- move to exempt Florida over other states had a rationale other than political gamesmanship.
“The coastal currents are different, the layout of where the geology is," Zinke said Sunday in an interview with CNN. He elaborated in a similar interview with Breitbart, touting his undergraduate major from 30 years ago, noting, “Florida is different in the currents – I’m a geologist – it’s different in geology.”
In response, Lena Moffitt, Senior Director of the Sierra Club's Our Wild America Campaign, released the following statement:
“Ryan Zinke is a geologist like Donald Trump is an economist. These weak explanations for why other coastal states don’t deserve the same protections as Florida only underscore the shocking incompetence with which Zinke has handled the offshore drilling plan rollout. The American people won’t be fooled by vague nonsense, especially coming from an administration that’s demonstrated a disdain for science at every turn.”
About the Sierra Club
The Sierra Club is America’s largest and most influential grassroots environmental organization, with more than 3 million members and supporters. In addition to helping people from all backgrounds explore nature and our outdoor heritage, the Sierra Club works to promote clean energy, safeguard the health of our communities, protect wildlife, and preserve our remaining wild places through grassroots activism, public education, lobbying, and legal action. For more information, visit www.sierraclub.org.