[Oe List ...] Resource Extraction and Climate Issues: URGENT: CALL ADDITIONAL SENATORS to VOTE NO ON SCOTT PRUITT

[Ellie Stock via OE]

Dear Friends of the Environment,


URGENT:  The Senate is scheduled to vote today on Scott Pruitt's confirmation as head of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).  Please contact your senators if you haven't had a chance to do that and ask them to vote NO.  In addition, are names of 7 other senators who may be candidates for voting NO.


Pruitt, who is supported by the fossil fuel industry, is not a friend of the EPA and has sued it multiple times.  He has neither the knowledge, wisdom nor intent of purpose to serve the best interests of what is needed to create a sustainable and resilient environment.  His confirmation will be the first step in weakening EPA's ability to hold corporate (especially fossil fuel) interests accountable, thus weakening communities' ability to protect their land, water and air.



When you call, give your name, city, zip code and ask the Senator to vote NO on his confirmation.  

 

If you are in Missouri, call these numbers:

 

McCaskill:  202/224-6154

Blunt:  202/224-5721

Leave message on the answering machine if an aide doesn't answer.  If an aide answers, give the person your message.  


Thanks.

 

Ellie
elliestock at aol.com 




Help us get in 5,000 calls to each of the seven Senators who could block Scott Pruitt!
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Here is a sample script of what to say:

Hello, my name is _______. I'm calling to urge you to vote no on the nomination of Scott Pruitt for EPA Administrator. Scott Pruitt is openly hostile to the EPA's mission and would do immense damage to the agency.

 We need a leader at the EPA who will enforce our bedrock environmental protections, not seek to undermine them. Please vote no on Scott Pruitt's nomination tomorrow.
Thank you.

Dial the numbers below to be connected with the Senators' offices:


Senator Gardner: 202-224-5941
 Senator Flake: 202-224-4521

 Senator Graham: 202-224-5972

 Senator Alexander: 202-224-4944

 Senator Heller: 202-224-6244

 Senator Manchin: 202-224-3954

 Senator Heitkamp: 202-224-2043


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Thank you for taking action to stop Scott Pruitt!



>From Center for Media and Democracy
Today, the Oklahoma County Court found Trump EPA nominee Scott Pruitt       in violation of the state’s Open Records Act. The Center for Media and       Democracy filed a lawsuit against Pruitt for improperly withholding public       records and the court ordered his office to release thousands of emails in       a matter of days.  In her ruling, Judge Aletia Haynes Timmons slammed the Attorney       General’s office for its “abject failure” to abide by the Oklahoma Open       Records Act.


The judge gave Pruitt’s office until Tuesday, February 21, to turn over       more than 2,500 emails it withheld from CMD’s January 2015 records       request, and just 10 days to turn over an undetermined number of documents       responsive to CMD’s 5 additional open records requests outstanding between       November 2015 and August 2016.
Today’s expedited hearing was granted after CMD, represented by Robert       Nelon of Hall Estill and the ACLU       of Oklahoma, filed a lawsuit that has driven unprecedented attention       to Pruitt’s failure to disclose his deep ties to fossil industry       corporations. On Friday, Pruitt is expected to face a full Senate vote on       his nomination to run the EPA.


On February 10, Pruitt’s office finally responded to the oldest of       CMD’s nine outstanding Open Records Act requests but provided just 411 of       the more than 3,000 emails they had located, withholding thousands of       emails relevant to the request and still failing to respond to CMD’s eight       other outstanding requests. On February 14 CMDfiled       a status report with the judge detailing the scope of missing       documents, including 27       emails that were previously turned over to The       New York Times in 2014.


“Scott Pruitt broke the law and went to great lengths to avoid the       questions many Americans have about his true motivations,” said Nick       Surgey, CMD’s director of research. “Despite Pruitt’s efforts to       repeatedly obfuscate and withhold public documents, we’re all wiser to his       ways and the interests he really serves. The work doesn’t stop here to       make sure communities across the country have the information they need to       hold him accountable to the health and safety of our families.”
Ahead of today’s hearing, Senators Carper, Whitehouse, Merkley, Booker,       Markey and Duckworth – all members of the EPW committee – weighed       in on the case, urging the Oklahoma court to require the Office of the       Oklahoma Attorney General to release documents relevant to CMD’s open       record requests as a matter of “federal importance.”  In a letter to       the OK Court, the Senators stated:


"We are providing this information to the Court today because we have       concluded [the] pending Open Records Act requests may be the only means by       which the Senate and the general public can obtain in a timely manner       critical information about Mr. Pruitt's ability to lead the EPA."
"We need to understand whether . . . Mr. Pruitt engaged with the       industries that he will be responsible for regulating if he is confirmed       as Administrator in ways that would compromise his ability to carry out       his duties with the complete impartiality required."


Pruitt’s continued lack of transparency extends from a difficult       nomination process in which research from CMD demonstrated Pruitt’s       repeated pattern of obfuscating ties to deep-pocketed, corporate       interests.
At his hearing before the Senate Environment and Public Works (EPW)       Committee, Pruitt faced a series of questions about his private meetings       with major fossil fuel companies while chair of the Republican       Attorneys General Association and fundraising for the Rule of Law       Defense Fund. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse concluded his questioning telling       Pruitt his testimony “just       doesn’t add up.” Despite failing to respond to any records       requests for the past two years, Pruitt told U.S. Senators last week       to file       more open records requests with his office to answer 19       outstanding questions from his confirmation hearing.


After Democratic Senators twice boycotted the EPW Committee vote due to       concerns over Pruitt’s conflicts of interests and failure       to fulfill open records requests, Republicans resorted to suspending       Committee rules to advance his nomination.






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