Lauren Lantry, lauren.lantry@sierraclub.org
WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Today, the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee is holding a hearing to examine the nomination of Acting Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Andrew Wheeler to be EPA Administrator.
In his first 100 days as Acting EPA Administrator, Andrew Wheeler took numerous actions to harm public health and the environment on average every three days. Meanwhile, a pending FOIA lawsuit is expected to reveal more of Wheeler’s emails which could reveal further managerial and ethical lapses.
In response, Michael Brune, Executive Director of the Sierra Club, released the following statement:
“A coal lobbyist shouldn't be in charge of the EPA. Period. In an administration that respected the rule of law and public health, this shutdown and this hearing would not be happening and Wheeler would have never been nominated in the first place. In his short time at EPA, and in his long career as a lobbyist for corporate polluters, Wheeler has proven himself to be a dangerous threat to the health of our families and our air and water.
“The American people cannot afford to have someone with a well-documented history of putting corporate polluter profits before our clean air and water leading the EPA. The Senate Environment and Public Works Committee and all Senators who care about their constituents should stand up for communities across the country and oppose this nomination.”
About the Sierra Club
The Sierra Club is America’s largest and most influential grassroots environmental organization, with more than 3 million members and supporters. In addition to helping people from all backgrounds explore nature and our outdoor heritage, 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.