Today, Waterkeeper Alliance and nearly 100 Waterkeeper Organizations and Affiliates sent a letter to Congress urging lawmakers to take action to remove Scott Pruitt from his position as Administrator of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Many are currently focused on Pruitt’s questionable judgment and deregulatory efforts, but there is a much more serious issue at hand — specifically, his failure to carry forward the mission of EPA.
EPA is tasked with implementing the federal environmental statutes passed by Congress in a manner consistent with the agency’s mission — to protect human health and the environment. One of the primary functions that EPA is tasked with is protecting and improving our nation’s water quality. Currently, there are undisputed, serious challenges facing our waterways that have far-reaching public health impacts — uncontrolled pollutant discharges, drinking water contamination, and many waterways so impaired they cannot be used for drinking, fishing, or swimming.
In his first year as EPA Administrator, Pruitt has ignored these serious issues and has not indicated that he has any plans to address them. He is not implementing our nation’s environmental statutes in a manner that protects human health and the environment. Instead, Pruitt has intently focused his attention, and EPA staff time, on weakening environmental and public health protections. He has shirked his responsibilities as Administrator in order to promote the interests of his industry supporters, the interests of his political allies, and himself. And he has done so at great, unjustified expense to U.S. taxpayers.
We are asking you to join us in holding Scott Pruitt accountable for his mismanagement of EPA by asking your Members of Congress to take action to pressure the administration to remove and replace him as EPA Administrator. Our nation faces too many environmental challenges and public health threats to have an EPA Administrator who is clearly incapable of carrying forth the agency’s mission, and misuses his position of power and taxpayer funds.
Please call your Member of Congress and say:
“My name is [XXX] and I live in [CITY, STATE]. I am asking you to hold Scott Pruitt accountable for his mismanagement of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. In addition to engaging in a startling number of ethical lapses and legal follies, Scott Pruitt has used his position of power to lead EPA in poorly executed, blatantly anti-environment and dangerous regulatory actions. While focusing EPA’s resources on his politically-driven deregulatory agenda, he has entirely ignored urgent environmental and public health issues that require EPA’s attention. He has indisputably demonstrated that he is both unwilling and unfit to perform the duties required of his position. Please remove and replace him as EPA Administrator.”
[CongressLookup]
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