Washington, DC — Today, the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee voted to approve Oklahoma Attorney General Scott Pruitt’s nomination for EPA administrator. The vote happened after Chairman Barrasso suspended the rules due to an ongoing boycott by EPW Democrats. In response, 350.org Executive Director May Boeve issued the following statement:
“The Trump administration has let the fossil fuel industry hijack the EPA in broad daylight. It’s despicable but not surprising that members of Trump’s party want a climate denier running the EPA. Pruitt built his career trying to tear the EPA apart, sowing doubt about climate change along the way. Instead of protecting Oklahomans from polluted air and water, he sided with Big Oil and their big checks. The EPA should protect people, not polluters, and communities nationwide who’ve urged our Senators to reject Pruitt and the rest of Trump’s cabinet will fight tooth and nail for our future.”
Pruitt’s ties to the fossil fuel industry and history of climate change denial have been widely reported since his nomination. In January, people across the country joined rallies at U.S. Senators in-state offices for the #DayAgainstDenial, urging their elected officials to reject Pruitt and the rest of Trump’s climate-denying cabinet nominees. Earlier this week, advocates took to social media with the hashtag #PollutingPruitt, and environmental and climate groups projected images and text onto the EPA headquarters calling for Senators to reject his nomination.
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Contact: Dani Heffernan, [email protected], +1 (305) 992-1544