February 17, 2017

Duckworth Votes Against EPA Nominee Scott Pruitt

 

WASHINGTON, DC - After voting against the nomination of Oklahoma Attorney General Scott Pruitt to be Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) issued the following statement. Video of Senator Duckworth speaking on the Senate floor for a full hour in the middle of the night against Pruitt's nomination is available here.

"As someone who fought to defend this nation, I've seen firsthand the price we pay for our dangerous dependence on foreign oil. Our government should be encouraging the use of American-made renewable fuel through programs like the Renewable Fuel Standard. We should not be risking lives and wasting money when we can use energy grown right here at home. That's why I voted against the nomination of Mr. Pruitt who has questioned the science of climate change, used the Attorney General's office in Oklahoma to help big oil sue the EPA and who prioritized polluter's profits over our clean air and water.

"As a mother of a 2 year old, I was also shocked that Mr. Pruitt was unaware that there is no safe level of lead for children at his confirmation hearing. That is a significant oversight especially in the aftermath of the Flint Water Crisis. Lead in schools and public water supplies is a serious problem for children in Illinois and across this nation, which is why we need an EPA that will proactively prevent crises like Flint. Unfortunately, Mr. Pruitt's record of filing lawsuit after lawsuit undermining the agency's ability to carry out its mission doesn't inspire much confidence."

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