Gabby Brown, gabby.brown@sierraclub.org
Washington, DC -- This morning, in spite of multiple bombshell reports on his unethical and questionable actions, the Senate Committee on Environment and Natural Resources voted to advance the nomination of former fossil fuel lobbyist David Bernhardt for Secretary of the Interior.
The vote came in the wake of new revelations about the extent of Bernhardt’s wrongdoing and conflicts of interest. A new report from the New York Times revealed that Bernhardt continued to lobby for Westlands Water District, a major client of his, for several months after filing official paperwork claiming he had ended his lobbying activities for them. The Washington Post has brought to light that Bernhardt’s former firm has quadrupled its business on Interior-related clients since Bernhardt joined the department.
David Bernhardt’s numerous conflicts of interest have been well documented. Before joining Interior as disgraced former secretary Ryan Zinke’s deputy, Bernhardt was a lobbyist for the fossil fuel industry, including dozens of companies with business currently being considered by the department, and has so many conflicts of interest he has to carry a card listing all of them. Bernhardt has reportedly been the driving force behind many of Interior’s plans to sell off America’s public lands and waters to fossil fuels companies. Bernhardt has also showed an unprecedented lack of transparency, and under his watch Interior has refused to respond to basic Freedom of Information Act requests within the timeline required by law, or even to provide estimates of when such requests may be addressed.
In response, Sierra Club Executive Director Michael Brune released the following statement:
“Senate Republicans and Donald Trump have already sold out the EPA to a coal lobbyist, and now they’re trying to ram a fossil fuel lobbyist and walking conflict of interest through to run the Interior Department. David Bernhardt’s unethical and dangerous track record at Interior has already told us all we need to know about this fossil fuel lobbyist’s priorities, but today’s revelations about his deeper conflicts of interest and deceptions make it more obvious than ever that he has no business overseeing America’s shared public spaces. Bernhardt has repeatedly violated ethical norms and sold out the American people’s interests to benefit his friends and former clients. He cannot be trusted to responsibly manage our public lands and waters. The Senate must uphold its obligations to the American people and reject him.”
About the Sierra Club
The Sierra Club is America’s largest and most influential grassroots environmental organization, with more than 3.5 million members and supporters. In addition to protecting every person's right to get outdoors and access the healing power of nature, 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.