Withdrawal of Trump’s Climate-Denying Environmental Advisor Nominee

Numerous, devastating natural disasters underscored 2017 – putting climate change concerns at an all-time high. Now, more than ever, Americans need environmental leaders eager to take up the fight for a cleaner, safer future.

When Trump nominated climate change denier and industry shill Kathleen Hartnett White for chair of the Council of Environmental Quality, we immediately drew concern – for good reason.

Hartnett White’s current work is funded by the Koch Brothers. Her opinions on climate change reject basic science. She claims carbon should not be considered a pollutant. And she’s called renewable energy ”unreliable and parasitic.”

In a Senate hearing, Hartnett White showed her true colors with an embarrassing display of scientific ignorance. Democratic questioning brought her lack of basic scientific knowledge to light and highlighted her denial of human-caused climate change.

Last week, the White House announced that Hartnett White’s nomination was withdrawn. One more climate denier has been stopped from influencing environmental policy.

This success is significant. Hartnett White — who is not a scientist — has no place affecting our environmental safeguards. 

Friends of the Earth knew this, and took action. We called out Hartnett White for the industry crony she is. We urged our members to speak up, and more than 64,000 of them sent messages to the Senate.

This win shows the sheer power in speaking out and shedding light on how truly harmful Trump’s nominees are.