Glen Hooks, glen.hooks@sierraclub.org, (501) 744-2674
LITTLE ROCK.-- 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, Glen Hooks, Arkansas Sierra Club’s Director, released the following statement:
“The appointment of climate change-denying, fossil fuel ally Scott Pruitt is a complete environmental and public health disaster. Based on his record of putting polluter profits before people, Pruitt will undoubtedly be the most dangerous EPA Administrator in history.
“While Attorney General, Pruitt sued EPA more than a dozen times--most often in an effort to stop EPA from cleaning up the air and water in our communities. Placing an active enemy of environmental protection in charge of the Environmental Protection Agency is mind-boggling.
“We are deeply disappointed in Senators Boozman and Cotton, who supported Pruitt despite his long record of fighting against clean air and water protections. Senators Boozman and Cotton were elected to represent our communities’ best interests, but this vote prioritizes corporate polluters over the health of Arkansas families.
“When it came to protecting his own constituents from the growing threats of earthquakes caused by the fracking process and dangerous coal ash pollution, Pruitt turned his back on Oklahoma families by doing nothing and instead protected the corporate polluters from whom he’s raked in more than $300,000 in campaign contributions. He is a relentless opponent of the most necessary health protections, such as those that safeguard our families from harmful smog or air pollution in national parks, and even went so far as to question whether mercury pollution, a known toxin, is dangerous to public health.
“Sierra Club and its 2.7 million members and supporters will continue to mobilize and resist attacks on clean air and clean water every step of the way.”