Pruitt Resigns- Swamp Monster is Gone

Today, President Trump accepted Scott Pruitt’s resignation as director of the Environmental Protection Agency. Trump tweeted, “I have accepted the resignation of Scott Pruitt as the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency. Within the Agency Scott has done an outstanding job, and I will always be thankful to him for this.” New Jersey Sierra Club Director, Jeff Tittel, released the following statement:

“Scott Pruitt’s job has been to dismantle environmental protections and side with corporation polluters, it’s a win that he has finally resigned. Pruitt was allowed to stay for all of his crookedness because he was carrying out Trump’s dirty work. Now he has become an issue for the President so he had to go. He has been under investigation for dozens of scandals while taking first-class trips on the taxpayer’s dime and dismantling environmental protections. In his short term, Pruitt tried to undo 40 years of environmental protections.  This unethical behavior of dirty dealing and siding with corporate polluters is a motto of the Trump Administration when it comes to the environment. He is self-serving and only took care of himself and his corporate benefactors at the expense of the taxpayers. He While He had no disregard for the taxpayers at the expense.

“Pruitt has racked up over $118,000 in first-class air travel because he knows how disliked he is. He’s coming up with excuses because of his contempt for the public and doesn’t want to sit with the people he is poisoning. He would rather rub elbows with corporate polluters. He has also taken other security precautions, including an $800,000 round the clock security detail. Pruitt also spent $36,000 on a military jet to New York in order to catch a $7,003 flight to Rome for a conference and $40,000 to fly to Morocco to promote natural gas exports. All of this unethical behavior and personal scandal takes us away from the real scandal, which is to destroy the environment of the United States. Trump has let Pruitt stay because he was carrying out Trump’s war on the environment.

“This is what the media focuses on but the real scandal is Pruitt’s agenda to dismantle the EPA and turn it into Every Polluter’s Agency.  and denying climate change. Pruitt tried to cut the EPA budget by a 3^rd  while getting rid of Environmental Justice department. Pruitt even signed a directive to delay the chemical plant safety standards, putting people directly in harm’s way.  Pruitt is a climate change denier who works for the fossil fuel industry instead of the people of the United States. The Sierra Club and other environmental organizations sued the EPA and constantly requested FOIA of the EPA. Pruitt sued against regulations that he was in charge to implement like the Clean Water Rule, Mercury Air Toxic Rule as well as the Clean Power Plan. Pruitt gave himself more authority to allow projects like pipelines and mining near waterways and wetlands. He even led a ‘secretive alliance’ of attorney generals working for the fossil fuel industry in suing the EPA over clean air, water, and climate protections.

“Pruitt’s attack on the environment was turning the EPA into Every Polluters advocate. The reason he has been protected so long is that he is carrying out Trump’s war on the environment. Instead of draining the swamp, Pruitt became the swamp monster by ravaging the environment and working for polluters and special interests. War will continue because Trump will elect another phony as head of the EPA. Pruitt may be gone but his horrible policies may live on. That is why we must keep battling and fighting to protect our clean air, clean water and open space.”