Washington, DC — Today, the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee held a hearing for Representative Ryan Zinke (R-MT), President-elect Trump’s appointment for Secretary of the Interior. During the hearing, Rep. Zinke signaled his support for oil, gas, and coal extraction on federal lands controlled by the Trump administration. Climate science suggests that all fossil fuels on federal land must be kept in the ground to meet climate commitments made by President Obama.
In response, May Boeve, 350.org Executive Director, issued the following statement:
“Zinke is a climate denier who threatens to undo the real progress we’ve made to keep fossil fuels in the ground. He can talk about Teddy Roosevelt all he wants, but ultimately, he plans to continue business-as-usual with the fossil fuel industry at the expense of our climate and our communities. Our Senators should be doing everything they can to keep climate denial out of the Cabinet for the sake of our future.”
Last week, people across the country rallied at U.S. Senators’ in-state offices for the #DayAgainstDenial, calling for their elected officials to reject Trump’s climate denial cabinet, including Rep. Zinke. The movement to keep fossil fuels in the ground, led by Indigenous Peoples and community activists, has demonstrated mass public resistance to fossil fuel exploitation of our public lands, and has halted the Keystone XL and the Dakota Access Pipelines.
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Contact: Dani Heffernan, [email protected], +1 (305) 992-1544