Brooklyn, N.Y. – Congresswoman Yvette D. Clarke released the following statement on the nomination of Oklahoma Attorney General Scott Pruitt as Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

“Since the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) was established in 1970, Americans have depended on this institution to keep the water we drink clean and to protect us from air pollution that degrades our environment and contributes to disease. We are all conscious of the fact that many of our most vulnerable populations and communities of color are disproportionately affected by environmental pollution and degradation, since power plants are often located in or near such communities and the sources of clean water are compromised by old and corroded infrastructure. For these reasons and many more, we must have an EPA prepared and equipped to fight each day to protect ordinary Americans from the harms imposed by environmental degradation.

“But Scott Pruitt’s record as Oklahoma’s Attorney General reveals other priorities. He has used his position to fight relentlessly for the fossil fuel producers and chemical companies that want to earn profits regardless of the consequences for our health or the health of our planet. In a time when the evidence of climate change and its impact has become irrefutable and when the crumbling infrastructure of our nation’s water delivery systems are exposing our citizens to lead and other toxins, Mr. Pruitt’s appointment demonstrates a reckless disregard for the people of our nation and the land that we inhabit. We cannot afford to have an EPA Administrator who denies the basic science of climate change at a time when temperatures are rising and weather patterns are disrupted. I will continue to fight for clean air, clean water, and the renewable energy investments that protect our health and our planet and that create jobs.”

Congresswoman Yvette D. Clarke, a member of the Committee on Energy and Commerce, the Subcommittee on Commerce, Manufacturing, and Trade, the Subcommittee on Communications and Technology, and the Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations, the Committee on Ethics and the Committee on Small Business in the House of Representatives, proudly represents Brownsville, Crown Heights, East Flatbush, Flatbush, Gerritsen Beach, Madison, Midwood, Park Slope, Flatlands, Prospect Heights, Prospect-Lefferts Gardens, Sheepshead Bay, and Windsor Terrace.