Friday, February 17, 2017
Earlier today, the U.S. Senate confirmed Scott Pruitt as administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency.
Kelly Stone, Senior Policy Analyst at ActionAid USA, said:
“Today, the Koch brothers and their billionaire oil and gas exec buddies got exactly what they wanted – the man they have funded throughout his political career is now in charge of the United States’ environment policy.
“Scott Pruitt’s confirmation signals an all-out assault on the basic environmental protections Americans rely on to keep our air clean and dangerous chemicals out of our food and water. This appointment shows Donald Trump’s promise to ‘drain the swamp’ for what it really is – a laughable lie.
“Pruitt has spent much of his career attacking the agency he will now lead, opposing rules that reduce our emissions and that are designed to enforce government environment policy. He has also consistently denied that human activity is causing climate change. Now that he is confirmed, he will intensify the Trump administration’s attacks on the environment, spelling disaster for millions of Americans and many more people around the world.
“ActionAid works with some of the world’s poorest and most vulnerable people in 45 countries. We recognize the right to a clean and healthy environment as a fundamental human right, and we will continue to resist all attacks from the Trump administration on people and our planet.”
ENDS