Environmentalists and people of faith (including the Pennsylvania Council of Churches) are concerned and dismayed at the nomination of OK Attorney General Scott Pruitt to be Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency. He has a long history of opposition to environmental protections, and is expected to carry his anti-environment attitude into this position.
Senator Bob Casey issued the following statement concerning the nomination of Mr. Pruitt on December 8:
Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator Bob Casey (D-PA) released the following statement on President-elect Trump’s nomination of Scott Pruitt as the next head of the EPA:
“President-elect Trump’s nomination of Oklahoma Attorney General Scott Pruitt as the next head of the Environmental Protection Agency are very troubling. Attorney General Pruitt’s views on environmental protection are unambiguous- he’s against it. A 2014 investigative report from the New York Times detailed how, under Scott Pruitt, the Attorney General’s office in Oklahoma did the bidding of major companies that would pollute the air our children breathe and the water they drink. The job of the Administrator of the EPA is to fulfill the agency’s mission to “protect human health and the environment,” not to do the bidding of major polluters. Attorney General Pruitt is also leading the effort to overturn the Clean Power Plan, which is vital to getting control of our energy future and creating clean energy jobs. Pennsylvania has a long history of respect for the environment. Article 1, Section 27 of our state constitution says:
“The people have a right to clean air, pure water, and to the preservation of the natural, scenic, historic and esthetic values of the environment. Pennsylvania’s public natural resources are the common property of all the people, including generations yet to come. As trustee of these resources, the Commonwealth shall conserve and maintain them for the benefit of all the people.”
I do not have confidence, based upon Attorney General Pruitt’s record, that the EPA under his leadership would be willing to enforce our environmental laws like the Clean Air Act and the Clean Water Act.”
Please thank Senator Casey for his statement that reflects the concerns we have with this nomination. You can thank him in any of the following ways:
- Call one of his offices. All you need to do is say: “As a person of faith, I want to thank Senator Casey for his statement recognizing Scott Pruitt’s record against the environment. I urge the Senator to do whatever he can to ensure that Mr. Pruitt is not confirmed for this position, and to support a nominee that will protect the environment for now and future generations.” Office numbers:
- Washington, DC: (202) 224-6324
- Harrisburg: (717) 231-7540
- Philadelphia: (215) 405-9660
- Pittsburgh: (412) 803-7370
- Scranton: (570) 941-0930
- Bellefonte: (814) 357-0314
- Erie: (814) 874-5080
- Allentown: (610) 782-9470
- Send him a message. You can send a message using the form at https://www.casey.senate.gov/contact.
- Send him a Tweet. Senator Casey’s Twitter handle is @SenBobCasey. Write your own, or here is a tweet you can use:Thanks @SenBobCasey for statement on EPA pick #ScottPruitt. Please oppose confirmation & support environmental champion @EnvDefenseFund
- Fax him a letter (or send to district office to avoid security hold ups in DC). His DC fax number is (202) 228-0604, or you can find district office addresses and fax numbers by clicking on links at the bottom of this page: https://www.casey.senate.gov/contact. See the Pennsylvania Council of Churches’ letter to Senator Casey for ideas if you need them.
Thank you for your faithful advocacy!
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