Trump appoints Big Polluter to head Environmental Protection Agency
WASHINGTON, D.C. – According to news reports, Donald Trump will appoint Oklahoma Attorney General Scott Pruitt to head the Environmental Protection Agency. As Attorney General, Pruitt sued the Environmental Protection Agency multiple times to stop them from protecting air and water. Pruitt also has extensive ties to the oil and gas industry. Natural gas mogul Harold Hamm was the chair of his latest re-election campaign. In his role as Oklahoma Attorney, it was documented that General Pruitt delivered letters to the EPA that were drafted for him by the oil and gas industry.
Friends of the Earth Climate and Energy Program Director Benjamin Schreiber issued the following statement in response to Pruitt’s announcement:
By appointing Oklahoma Attorney General Scott Pruitt to head the Environmental Protection Agency, Donald Trump has made it clear that he intends to wage war on clean air and clean water. Trump has also put our climate in peril and shown he is out of step with the American people.
As the Attorney General, Scott Pruitt did the bidding of the oil and gas industry and fought many of the laws he will now be tasked to enforce. He helped Big Oil turn Oklahoma into an Earthquake zone. With this EPA pick, Donald Trump is putting all Americans at risk. Friends of the Earth is committed to stop Trump and Pruitt from undermining environmental protections.
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Expert contact: Benjamin Schreiber, (202) 222-0752, [email protected]
Communications contact: Kate Colwell, (202) 222-0744, [email protected]