DENVER – A group of former Environmental Protection Agency workers held a rally Tuesday, calling upon Colorado’s congressional representatives to oppose the appointment of Oklahoma Attorney General Scott Pruitt as the
The rally outside the agency’s Denver office was organized by Save EPA!, a group of former employees of the agency who are concerned about Pruitt’s views, said Jeff Hart, a member of the group’s steering committee and retired manager for the EPA’s Office of Inspector General.
“We want them to reject the nomination of Scott Pruitt to be the EPA head, because he’s a climate denier,” Hart said.
While Pruitt’s history of litigation against the EPA is a reason for concern, the need to take politics out of the discussion on climate change should be at the forefront of the senators’ minds when considering nominees for the job, he said. “Climate and public health, maybe more than any other public policy issue, ought to be based on sound science and it ought to be about fact-based decision making, not politics-based decision making.”
About 70 protesters gathered at the EPA Headquarters for Region 8 in Denver, which covers Colorado, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Utah and Wyoming.
After the rally, some protesters went to the offices of Sens. Cory Gardner and Michael Bennet to drop off letters.
Hart said the effect of reaching out to elected officials and voicing concerns over policies and nominees should not be underestimated.
“They know that one person represents maybe 50, a hundred or maybe a thousand other constituents that feel the same way,” he said. “So it’s really important that our elected officials hear from people, because they count those phone calls.”
A hearing on Pruitt’s nomination will be at 8 a.m. (MST) Wednesday in Washington.
“We’re really counting on these senators to make sure that these Cabinet nominees are qualified,” Hart said.
Bennet’s office released the following statement regarding the Save EPA! rally: “Some former EPA employees stopped by our office to share their concerns about Pruitt’s nomination with a senior staff member,” said Laurie Cipriano, press secretary for Bennet. “Their chief concerns centered around climate change and air and water protections and we will share those concerns with Michael.”
lperkins@durangoherald.com
