Gabby Brown, gabby.brown@sierraclub.org
Washington, DC -- Today, the Senate voted to confirm former fossil fuel lobbyist David Bernhardt as Secretary of the Interior.
Before joining Interior as disgraced former secretary Ryan Zinke’s deputy, Bernhardt was a lobbyist for the fossil fuel industry, including dozens of companies with business currently being considered by the department, and has so many conflicts of interest he has to carry a card listing all of them. Bernhardt has reportedly been the driving force behind many of Interior’s plans to sell off America’s public lands and waters to fossil fuel companies.
Bernhardt has also showed an unprecedented lack of transparency. Under his watch, Interior has refused to respond to basic Freedom of Information Act requests within the timeline required by law, or even to provide estimates for when such requests may be addressed. Bernhardt has also been deceptive about his daily calendar and has worked to conceal information about who he’s meeting with from the American people.
In response, Sierra Club Executive Director Michael Brune released the following statement:
“David Bernhardt is a walking conflict of interest who is selling out our public lands to his former clients in the fossil fuel industry. Like Ryan Zinke before him, Bernhardt is clearly more interested in doing favors for his corporate polluting friends than in responsibly managing our shared public spaces. We will not back down in our efforts to hold Bernhardt accountable for his abuse of ethical norms and his dangerous, pro-polluter agenda.”
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.