Posted on 02/06/2017 6:10:15 PM PST by markomalley
Hundreds of former Environmental Protection Agency employees began protesting the nomination of President Trump's pick to lead the agency on Monday by urging the Republican leadership to vote against the nominee's confirmation.
Nearly 450 former staff members sent a letter to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., on Monday expressing deep reservations over approving the nomination of Oklahoma Attorney General Scott Pruitt becoming EPA administrator.
They said, if confirmed, Pruitt would shirk his duties to protect Americans' public health, which they said has not been the case with either a Democratic or Republican EPA administrator in the past.
"The American people have been served by EPA administrators, Republicans and Democrats, who have embraced their responsibility to protect public health and the environment," the letter read. "Different administrators have come to different conclusions about how best to apply the law in view of the science, and many of their decisions have been challenged in court, sometimes successfully, for either going too far or not far enough. But in the large majority of cases it was evident to us that they put the public's welfare ahead of private interests."
But Scott Pruitt "has not demonstrated this same commitment," the letter said.
Pruitt was approved last week to lead the agency by the Republicans on the Environment and Public Works Committee, who took drastic measures to advance his nomination amid a Democratic boycott. Democrats attempted to stop the vote on Pruitt's nomination in committee by refusing to attend the vote.
Under Senate rules, at least one Democrat must be present in order for a committee to hold a vote on a nominee. Republicans were forced to waive normal procedure and voted 11-0 to send Pruitt to the Senate floor, where his fate as head of EPA will be decided. McConnell has not set a date for the full chamber to vote on the Pruitt nomination as of Monday.
The former EPA employees deepest concern with Pruitt is his "reluctance to accept and act on the strong scientific consensus on climate change," the letter said.
"Our country's own National Research Council, the principal operating arm of the National Academies of Science and Engineering, concluded in a 2010 report requested by Congress that human activity is altering the climate to an extent that poses grave risks to Americans' health and welfare," the letter explained.
Yet, despite this and other "authoritative warnings about the dangers of climate change," Pruitt continues in "pointing to uncertainty about the precise extent of humanity's contribution to the problem as a basis for resisting taking any regulatory action to help solve it," the letter said.
It also pointed out that Pruitt's offered a familiar Republican "dodge" when asked about climate change at his Senate confirmation hearing last month. The "science tells us that the climate is changing, and that human activity in some manner impacts that change," he was quoted saying. "The ability to measure with precision the degree and extent of that impact, and what to do about it, are subject to continuing debate and dialogue, and well it should be."
The employees called the argument a "familiar dodge" that emphasizes "uncertainty about the precise amount of humanity's contribution," but ignores "the broad scientific consensus that human activities are largely responsible for dangerous warming of our planet and that action is urgently needed before it is too late."
Drain the Swamp.
effemall
lots of evidence its a good pick.
All of which now work for contrators and consultants to the EPA, and face reduced bribery payments as a result of reduced regulation.
Votes matter.
They don’t like the Constitution, change it.
Cue Monty Python’s ‘Search For The Holy Grail:
Unknown actor states: ‘She turned me into a newt!’
(Everyone in the scene looks at the man with disbelief):
‘I got better!’ was the reply...
Wasn’t there an EO saying to cut the EPA in half.
Another reason Pruitt is the man. The EPA is in existence to further its own existence, not to serve the public. They have become a master, not a slave.
Hundreds of former feds protest Trump’s EPA pick equals hundreds of good reason to approve Trump’s EPA candidate.
The important question is: have they stopped pooping in the hallway?
The operative word is “former.”
the key word here is FORMER.
Smoking them all out into the open
It is past time to defund 90% of these ‘so called’ scientists and pursue investigations into fraud committed by ‘researchers’.
Since the ‘science is settled’...
Drain the swamp!!!
AKA “has beens”
Hahaha.. Wasn’t it the Left who said ‘Elections Have Consequenses!’? TS for them!
Protests here in Chicago. Complaining about losing their jobs under Pritt.
Consensus is anti-scientific.
We are ‘dead center’ right over the target or they wouldn’t be putting up such a fuss!!!
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