Brian Willis: 202.675.2386, Brian.Willis@sierraclub.org
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Donald Trump issued an executive order today ordering the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to recklessly cut short the review of clean air permits and reconsider important clean air protections against harmful smog pollution. The order came at a time of mounting pressure on Trump to fire his EPA Administrator, Scott Pruitt, who is struggling through a string of scandals related to receiving a sweetheart housing arrangement from a D.C. energy lobbyist and wasting taxpayer dollars on luxurious travel and personal items.
In response, Mary Anne Hitt, Senior Director of Sierra Club’s Beyond Coal campaign, released the following statement:
“With a cloud of scandal whirling around Scott Pruitt, Donald Trump and Pruitt just stooped to a new low with this latest attack on the Clean Air Act on behalf of corporate polluters. This policy haphazardly attempts to bypass important scientific work that keeps millions of communities’ air clean, and it sets in motion a clear ploy to weaken the latest science-based smog pollution standard.
“We will not stand for any new process that weakens our clean air safeguards and threatens to make our families sick with dirty air.We will work with our allies to combat any polluter giveaways that Scott Pruitt and Donald Trump have planned. As Pruitt’s scandals become more outrageous, we will keep fighting to make sure our environmental and public health laws are fully enforced.”
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.