SAN FRANCISCO – The Senate is poised to vote tomorrow to install the worst nominee for Environmental Protection Agency administrator in history: Oklahoma Attorney General Scott Pruitt. His record and statements disqualify him from being entrusted with protecting the nation’s drinking water, air and environment. On the eve of the vote, EWG urges senators to stop and think about what’s at stake.
Here is a plea to senators from EWG President Ken Cook:
If you value clean drinking water and breathable air for your constituents, putting Scott Pruitt in charge of the EPA would be a disaster. This vote is not about the debunked myth that strong environmental safeguards and a thriving economy aren’t compatible. It’s about our children’s health and their future.
The mission of the EPA is to protect public health and the environment by upholding our nation’s landmark environmental laws: the Safe Drinking Water Act, the Clean Air Act, the Toxic Substances Control Act and many more. But during his confirmation hearing, Pruitt could not identify a single EPA regulation he thought was a good idea, nor could he identify a single credible example of how he enforced environmental protection laws as Oklahoma’s attorney general. Not one. He does, however, have a long record of seizing every opportunity and tool at his disposal, at the behest of polluters, to block any effort by the EPA to protect Americans and the environment we treasure.
If he is confirmed, there’s no doubt that Scott Pruitt will launch a shock-and-awe campaign to dismantle federal environmental programs and slash the agency’s budget, leaving state and local governments largely on their own in trying to provide safe drinking water and air, keep their rivers and lakes clean, and protect citizens from hazardous chemicals. Whether he gets the chance is up to you.
