Lauren Lantry, lauren.lantry@sierraclub.org
WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Last week, at the Heritage Foundation EPA administrator Scott Pruitt announced plans to stymy the use of science at the EPA, placing relevant data such as health research off-limits by restricting the agency to only public data. This is a similar strategy tobacco companies have used to conceal the dangers of smoking.
In response, Sierra Club Associate Director of Federal & Administrative Advocacy Matthew Gravatt released the following statement:
“Scott Pruitt’s relentless assault on science continues, and this proposal is ripped straight from the Big Tobacco playbook. Just like we know that cigarettes are dangerous, we too know that pollution and climate disruption pose a threat to our families -- but Pruitt wants to try Big Tobacco’s tricks to hide the truth. By limiting what studies can be used to help keep our air and water clean, our climate safe, and our homes free of toxic chemicals, Pruitt is trying to make it harder for the EPA to protect the health and safety of American families. He’d even subject private health data to public exposure This policy is so dangerous to our health that it should come with a Surgeon General’s warning.”
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.