As you have likely heard by now, Scott Pruitt has resigned as Environmental Protection Agency Administrator after months of scandal and rolling back our rights to clean air and water. Our voices have been heard thanks to the actions of many Americans on both sides of the aisle. The Sierra Club alone generated almost 100,000 comments urging Pruitt’s firing, along with countless Freedom of Information Act requests, all of which helped to force Pruitt’s resignation. After months of fighting Pruitt’s actions, a clear message has been sent to the Trump Administration: our EPA Administrator should not have a history as a lobbyist for fossil fuels.
However, with Andrew Wheeler as the acting Administrator and as we await the appointment of a new agency chief, our work is far from over.
Previously a coal lobbyist, Wheeler knows the ins and outs of Washington having already worked for the EPA under George Bush and will likely try to work without the spotlight that Pruitt received. We cannot allow Wheeler’s actions to go unnoticed. Wheeler will attempt to fly under the radar, rather than actively replacing regulation standards he will likely continue Pruitt’s non-enforcement of existing regulations and continue to pander to the interests of fossil fuels.
Throughout Pruitt’s time as EPA Administrator, many congressmen from both parties spoke out against his actions. Now we must ensure they continue to help us to confirm an agency chief who will “restore public trust in the EPA and let the agency fulfill its mission, rather than gut the laws that keep our families safe,” as Sierra Club’s Executive Director Michael Brune said earlier this week.
As more potential replacements are named, stay up to date with how each senator will be voting in confirmation hearings. Our voices are being heard, Pruitt would not have resigned without your calls, signatures, and action. So let’s keep pressing the Trump Administration for an EPA Administrator whose priority is environmental protection, not protecting corporate interests.