Brian Willis, 202.675.2386, Brian.Willis@sierraclub.org
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Clean air experts sounded the alarm today as the New York Times reported that former coal lobbyist and EPA Administrator Andrew Wheeler plans to abandon peer-reviewed science in order to sell the Trump Administration’s Dirty Power Plan, its attempt to roll back the Clean Power Plan. The EPA previously estimated that Trump and Wheeler’s Dirty Power Plan will contribute to the deaths of as many as 1,400 Americans annually. Wheeler will reportedly have the EPA ignore comprehensive scientific assessments of the dangerous health impacts of air pollution in order to artificially reduce the Dirty Power Plan’s death count on paper, even while the victims of his rule will still face life-threatening effects from pollution.
In response, Mary Anne Hitt, Senior Director of Sierra Club’s Beyond Coal campaign, released the following statement:
“Andrew Wheeler and Donald Trump are trying to cover up the death toll of their policies, and it must not be ignored. Wheeler and Trump have made a deadly habit out of rejecting science to push the dangerous agenda of corporate polluters, yet few of their actions have sunk so low as this effort to use blatant falsities to hide the fact that their Dirty Power Plan will kill 1,400 Americans every year.
“This repugnant attempt to swindle the public will not go unnoticed by the people whose lives and health Wheeler is jeopardizing. The true human cost of the Trump Administration’s policies will continue to galvanize communities across America and will haunt Wheeler and Trump as they pursue their reckless course of action. Sierra Club will do everything it can to stop this disturbing abuse of power by Wheeler and Trump, highlight the ugly reality of their policies, and protect the lives of the people they would rather ignore.”
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.