Brian Willis: 202.675.2386, Brian.Willis@sierraclub.org
WASHINGTON, D.C. - It was reported earlier today that during a presentation at the Eastern Fuel Buyers Conference, EPA Senior Policy Advisor Mandy Gunasekara said that she was in Washington D.C. to make sure what EPA is doing is helping the coal industry.
In response, Michael Brune, Sierra Club’s Executive Director, released the following statement:
“Scott Pruitt and his hand-picked staff are no longer even lying about it: they are clear that their only priority is to help corporate polluters. By letting the fossil fuel industry take over the EPA, Pruitt and his staff are draining the swamp and replacing it with a coal ash pond. The mission of the EPA is to safeguard human health and the environment, not to coddle the coal industry, but Scott Pruitt and his staff are betraying that critical duty in order to trash our air and water while fossil fuel executives count their money. A President who actually cared about clean air and water would fire Pruitt and Gunasekara immediately for failing to do their jobs and ignoring the needs of the American people and our environment. No one voted for a corporate polluter takeover of the EPA, but that is exactly what is happening and we will all pay the price with our air, our water, and our health.”
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About the Sierra Club
The Sierra Club is America’s largest and most influential grassroots environmental organization, with more than 2.4 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.