Washington, DC – Today, on national television, Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Scott Pruitt said that carbon pollution caused by human activity is not a main driver of climate change. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), a member of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee and a Co-Chair of the Senate Climate Action Task Force, released the following statement on Pruitt’s comment:
“It seems the fossil fuel industry has its Manchurian candidate. Scott Pruitt testified to the Senate he believes the EPA has an important role to play in regulating carbon dioxide. He said he would consult his own EPA experts about enforcing the Clean Air Act, which the Supreme Court has ruled covers carbon pollution. Now, just weeks into his tenure, he’s spouting climate denial on national television, calling into question his understanding of both science and our environmental laws.
“Pruitt didn’t tell Congress the truth about his use of personal email to conduct official business, abandoned his pledge to defend the Renewable Fuel Standard, and misled us on his understanding of climate change. Whether he’s brainwashed by the fossil fuel industry money he’s trafficked through the years or just fundamentally dishonest, he must answer for this pattern of deception.”
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