Commentary: WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Today, the U.S. Senate voted to approve Donald Trump’s nomination of Scott Pruitt as head of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
In response, Sierra Club’s Executive Director Michael Brune released the following statement:
“Scott Pruitt is now set to be the most dangerous EPA Administrator in the history of our country. Pruitt has taken millions of dollars from corporate polluters, and has protected their interests at every turn - yet, he is now in charge of protecting our children from the dirty air and toxic water created by these very same polluters. Pruitt has a long record of ignoring science, assaulting public health safeguards, and holding the agency he now leads in contempt. His confirmation is an environmental and public health disaster.
“We are deeply disappointed in the Senators who backed Pruitt. They are are elected to represent their constituents’ best interests, but instead voted to protect corporate greed. This is a vote that should not even have happened, given the unanswered questions about Pruitt's hidden e-mails with fossil fuel companies that a judge has ordered to be released next week. Sierra Club and its 2.7 million members and supporters will continue to mobilize and resist this corrupt administration’s attacks on public health, clean air, and clean water every step of the way.”
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About the Sierra Club
The Sierra Club is America’s largest and most influential grassroots environmental organization, with more than 2.7 million members and supporters nationwide. In addition to creating opportunities for people of all ages, levels and locations to have meaningful outdoor experiences, the Sierra Club works to safeguard the health of our communities, protect wildlife, and preserve our remaining wild places through grassroots activism, public education, lobbying, and litigation. For more information, visit http://www.sierraclub.org.