Zinke Faces Protests at Industry Speech

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Friends of the Earth today protested Department of the Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke, holding him accountable during a speech at an industry association.

A video of the disruption will be available shortly at this link.

In previous speeches, Zinke has pledged to work for industry. In September, he told the Louisiana Oil & Gas Association: “Our government should work for you, the #oilandgas industry.”

In a speech to oil and gas executives in March, Zinke incorrectly argued that the carbon footprint of wind is “significant,” only to turn around in April and tell an audience at an offshore wind conference that wind energy fits into America’s “energy dominance” framework. 

Following the action, Nicole Ghio, senior fossil fuels program manager at Friends of the Earth, issued the following statement:

Ryan Zinke is a one-man environmental disaster whose corruption has triggered over 14 federal investigations into his behavior. But instead of holding him accountable, the Trump administration fired Interior’s inspector general and replaced her with a political appointee. Americans need an Interior secretary who will put our communities ahead of the pocketbooks of oil and mining executives.

Zinke brags behind closed doors about his department working for the oil and gas industry while blaming the wind industry for global warming. The only solution to the corruption and two-faced lying at the Department of Interior is to fire Zinke.

Expert contact: Nicole Ghio, (925) 451-0838 [email protected]
Communications contact: Patrick Davis, (608) 770-4800, [email protected]