Lauren Lantry, lauren.lantry@sierraclub.org
WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Today, the New York Times reported that the acting White House chief of staff Mick Mulvaney told Commerce Secretary Wilbur L. Ross Jr. to have the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) publicly disavow a Birmingham NOAA forecasters’ position that Alabama was not in the path of Hurricane Dorian. Ross then called acting NOAA director Dr. Neil Jacobs, threatening to fire top employees at NOAA for correcting Trump’s inaccurate portrayal of Hurricane Dorian’s path wrongly including Alabama.
In an interview, Jacobs noted that Trump’s lies about the storm's path were spreading mass panic: “We got calls about people having surgery and should they cancel. We got calls about ‘Should I go get my elderly parents?’ There were so many concerns,”
In response, Sierra Club Executive Director Michael Brune released the following statement:
"It is unconscionable that Trump placed his ego above the safety of hundreds of thousands by lying about Hurricane Dorian’s path and threatening to spread mass panic. To make matters worse, Trump didn’t stop at lying - his staff, including Wilbur Ross, threatened the livelihoods of those who didn’t go along with his delusions. While Trump is trying to deny his involvement, like his markers, his actions are permanent.
“Ross is supposed to protect the public and the economy. Instead, just to give cover to Trump, Ross’ actions put the public in harm's way while potentially instilling panic throughout Alabama. On top of this, his actions threaten to undermine scientific integrity within the Commerce Department and erode trust in essential public health and safety agencies. Ross must resign.
“As hurricane season continues, and the climate crisis fuels the increasing severity and frequency of these storms, Trump and Ross’ shameless abuse of power could have devastating results now and in the future. ”
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.