LATINOS OPPOSE SCOTT PRUITT FOR EPA ADMINISTRATOR
Call On Senate To Reject His Nomination
January 17, 2017
Dear Senator:
As Latino leaders, members and representatives of the undersigned organizations committed to efforts that support our communities’ health, advancement, safety and well-being, and on behalf of the concerned communities we represent, we strongly urge you to oppose the president-elect’s nominee to lead the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Oklahoma Attorney General Scott Pruitt.
Mr. Pruitt has made a career of suing the Environmental Protection Agency, and has used his office to attack lifesaving public health protections time and time again. His record exhibits a reckless disregard for public health and a deeply troubling contempt for the very mission of the agency he has been nominated to lead.
Mr. Pruitt denies the science of climate change, suing to block national standards to fight this crisis; he has fought against clean air protections, opposing the Mercury and Air Toxics standard which would prevent premature deaths and asthma attacks; he has sued the EPA to overturn clean water safeguards for more than half of the nation’s waterways, including streams that feed into the drinking water supplies of hundreds of millions of Americans. Scott Pruitt is simply unfit to lead the EPA and, if confirmed, would pose a danger to our communities.
Latinos overwhelmingly support actions to fight climate change. We recognize the importance of protecting the environment: 97 percent of Latinos agree we have a moral obligation to take care of our environment. In December, the National Hispanic Leadership Agenda, a coalition of 40 of the leading Latino organizations nationwide, voiced their opposition to Mr. Pruitt’s nomination, stating that they were “particularly troubled by this choice,” and pointing to the prevalence of asthma and other respiratory diseases among Latinos living near polluting power plants, truck routes, and factories; as well as the large number Latinos who are employed in outdoor occupations, including agriculture, where they are exposed to health hazards, bad air quality, and the impacts of extreme weather.
Americans did not vote for more air pollution, toxics, or dirty water, nor did they vote to undo critical protections that safeguard our children and communities. We did not vote for more climate change or dirty energy. Putting the EPA in Mr. Pruitt’s hands does just that: he will threaten our children’s health, turn back the clock on landmark efforts to clean up our air, water and climate, and imperil the United States’ position as a global clean energy leader.
We call on you to publicly declare your commitment to stand up for our right to breathe clean air, drink clean water, and be protected from pollution. We urge you to vote against all legislative proposals that would in any way repeal, weaken or undermine these rights, laws and safeguards. Our community is counting on you to protect us by voting to reject Scott Pruitt’s nomination for Administrator of the U.S. EPA.
Sincerely,
Mildred Real
Founder and CEO
America Verde
Irene Vilar
Founder and CEO
Americas for Conservation + the Arts
Arturo Carmona
Arturo for Congress Campaign
Ronald Blackburn Moreno
President and CEO
ASPIRA Association
Marce Graudiņš
Founder / Director
Azul
Vanessa Smith
Publisher
Chica Magazine
Lisa Hoyos
Director
Climate Parents
Omar Gomez
Director of Programs and Public Policy
Council of Mexican Federations (COFEM)
Giselle Achear
Eco-Rico
Soledad Haren
Producer
Epoca Verde, Green Living, Green Times
Virginia Ruiz
Director of Occupational and Environmental Health
Farmworker Justice
Mark Magana
President & CEO
GreenLatinos
Laura Esquivel
Director of National Advocacy
Hispanic Federation
Cristóbal Alex
President
Latino Victory Project
Luis Torres
Director of Policy and Legislation
League of United Latin American Citizens
Brent Wilkes
National Executive Director
League of United Latin American Citizens
Amy L. Hinojosa
President and CEO
MANA, A National Latina Organization
Ben Monterroso
Executive Director
Mi Familia Vota
Samuel Molina
California State Director
Mi Familia Vota
Eduardo Sainz
Arizona Deputy Director
Mi Familia Vota Arizona
Carla Castedo
Colorado State Director
Mi Familia Vota Colorado
Esteban Garces
Florida State Director
Mi Familia Vota Florida
Ben Monterroso
Executive Director
Mi Familia Vota
Carlos Duarte
Texas State Director
Mi Familia Vota Texas
Elena Rios, MD, MSPH, FACP
President & CEO
National Hispanic Medical Association
Sergio Rimola, MD
National Hispanic Medical Association
Olga Trujillo
Director of Public Policy
National Latin@ Network of Casa de Esperanza
Erika Castro
Progressive Leadership Alliance of Nevada
Hilda Nucete
Protégete Program Director
Protégete: Nuestro Aire, Nuestra Salud
Carlos Zegarra
Director
Sachamama
Dr Mary A Haberl
Owner
SolarFour LLC
Tony DeFalco
Deputy Director
Verde
Ana Lucia Garcia
Concerned Citizen
Paty Romero Lankao, PhD
UNCR
Gerald Torres
Professor / Concerned Citizen
Fernando Cazares
Urban Planner / Concerned Citizen
Graciela Cabello
Concerned Citizen
Voto Latino
The Staff and Board Members of Voces Verdes