Dear Scott Pruitt
I’d like to congratulate you on your nomination as the new administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency. The position you now hold is one of the most important seats in the federal government for the future health and safety of millions of Americans, including the wellbeing of our natural resources and environmental health. As I’m sure you’re aware, the mission statement of your agency is “to protect human health and the environment -- air, water, and land.” This mission comes with immense responsibility, and I’m hoping you can answer a few questions for me. I’m sorry to publish this letter openly to the public, but I’m afraid it would just land in the paper shredder along with nearly all other sources of scientific and logical reason that lands on your desk.
Where do you stand on climate change? According the scientists in your own organization that you are in charge of, the greatest danger for human and environmental health going into the future is anthropogenic climate change. If this is the organization you’re leading, I have to bring up your own words on the matter that seem quite contradictory. In January of this year, you stated that you believe that the climate is changing, and that humans are having some impact on that change, however two months later you said that you weren’t sure, but you were sure that carbon dioxide emissions had nothing to do with climate change. Which is it? What or who is influencing your swinging opinions? Can you backup these statements with scientific studies or anything that resembles objectivity? In case you are unaware, 97.3% of all scientists with peer reviewed research on climate change are in statistically unanimous agreement that humans are directly responsible for the climate change we are experiencing.
Since this information regarding climate change is readily available to you, there must be some other factors that contribute to your willful ignorance and purposeful promotion of misinformation and outright lies. Could it be because you have received $300,000 from Exxon, Spectra and Koch oil industries since 2002? Surely that wouldn’t affect how you treat the importance of the emissions regulations and extraction laws on these corporations. Or how about the $40,000 in campaign donations from Tyson Foods you received, after granting them amnesty when they tried to dump 300,000 tons of chicken feces into the Illinois River Basin on a yearly basis? If only there were easy ways to access this information, such as public records, or I don’t know… Google, before letting you lead the one regulatory system of government that keeps our air and water clean.
Okay fine, let’s say we as the American public are willing to overlook the kickbacks you receive from companies who have vested interests opposite of environmental protection. What else could be the source of your conflicting views that fly contrary to all of the best information we have available regarding environmental health? Maybe it’s the 13 times that you sued the EPA while you were Attorney General of Oklahoma. Having a history of suing and attempting to derail carbon emission regulations set by the EPA couldn’t hinder how you now run the EPA right?. Not to mention eight of these lawsuits are still active. Surely you wouldn’t use your power as head of the EPA to successfully settle your own lawsuits against the EPA.
I would really like an honest explanation as to why you personally believe you are remotely qualified to run this agency. You are now responsible for much of the human and environmental health of our entire country. At this point of examining your history, I’m genuinely terrified that you might take the ideas of “draining the swamp” a little too literally, and further harm our wetlands and watersheds. Or as the director of government affairs for the Natural Resources Defense Council David Goldston stated, "As far as we can tell there’s literally nothing in [your] record showing any indication of protecting the environment in any way that matters". I hope I’m wrong, I hope he’s wrong, and I hope you can help clear up your actions, and words which seem to completely disqualify you from the work you’re now responsible for.
Sincerely, a concerned citizen.
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