Gabby Brown, gabby.brown@sierraclub.org
Washington, DC -- A new report by the New York Times reveals that Acting Interior Secretary David Bernhardt buried a Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) analysis of the effects of toxic pesticides on endangered species at the request of the pesticide industry.
According to documents released under the Freedom of Information Act, the comprehensive, years-long analysis from FWS was set to show that two widely used pesticides were so toxic that they “jeopardize the continued existence” of more than 1,200 endangered species. Just before the analysis was set to be released, political appointees at Interior, including then-Deputy Secretary Bernhardt, blocked the release and ordered FWS to take a new, narrower approach that had been lobbied for by chemical manufacturers including donors to Donald Trump’s inauguration committee.
Trump has nominated Bernhardt to replace disgraced former Secretary Ryan Zinke as Secretary of the Interior, and the Senate will hold a hearing on his confirmation this Thursday morning.
In response, Lena Moffitt, Senior Director of the Sierra Club’s Our Wild America campaign, released the following statement:
“This shocking report confirms what we’ve long known about Bernhardt: for him, polluting industry profits will always win out over the public good. This shameful abuse of power should make it clear, once and for all, that this industry lobbyist has no business overseeing America’s public lands.”
About the Sierra Club
The Sierra Club is America’s largest and most influential grassroots environmental organization, with more than 3.5 million members and supporters. In addition to protecting every person's right to get outdoors and access the healing power of nature, 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.