Jonathon Berman, jonathon.berman@sierraclub.org
Washington, DC -- Today, the Department of the Interior dismissed a reporter’s inquiry on whether a department staffer -- and the daughter of a longtime Peabody Energy executive -- had recused herself from matters relating to the coal company as “alarmist speculation.” This comes one day after it was revealed that Zinke has failed to disclose his investments in a private firearms company, and four days after Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) Acting Director Walter Cruickshank testified that, despite Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke’s earlier claims, Florida’s waters would in fact be considered in the administration’s offshore drilling plan.
On Sunday, it was reported that Zinke went “rogue” when he reversed course on including Florida’s coastlines in his offshore drilling plan, angering Donald Trump.
In response, Sierra Club Our Wild America Director Lena Moffitt released the following statement:
“Ryan Zinke’s inept and scandal-ridden tenure as Interior Secretary is not just embarrassing, it is dangerous. Zinke can’t pick and choose the laws and procedures he wants to follow. If Donald Trump was paying attention to anything but his Twitter feed and Fox & Friends, he’d see that Zinke is going around him to pile up even more scandals and humiliations for an administration that is already historically unpopular. Zinke’s reckless push to score points for his political allies and fossil fuel pals threatens the future of our public lands, coastal communities, and ethical and legal standards.”
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.