EPA’s Pruitt Putting Health at Risk by Replacing Scientists with Pollution Apologists

WASHINGTON – Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Scott Pruitt moved today to dismiss science advisors who have received EPA grants from its Science Advisory Board and the Clean Air Science Advisory Board, and reportedly is planning to put in their place individuals with ties to the fossil fuel industry and opposed to credible science.

The following is a statement from Christina Swanson, director of the Science Center at the Natural Resources Defense Council:

“Scott Pruitt’s reign at EPA is increasingly hazardous to our health. Today Pruitt is purging independent, academic scientists from the agency’s science advisory boards. He reportedly plans to replace them with industry, state and political pollution apologists and science deniers.

“Pruitt’s suggesting that scientists with public funding are biased, but scientists with polluter funding are straight shooters. Absurd. Pruitt is choosing polluter-friendly appointees to sweep unfavorable scientific evidence under the rug, leaving the rest of us to pay the price.”

A blog by Swanson with further analysis of Pruitt’s action will be here: https://www.nrdc.org/experts/christina-swanson

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The Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) is an international nonprofit environmental organization with more than 3 million members and online activists. Since 1970, our lawyers, scientists, and other environmental specialists have worked to protect the world's natural resources, public health, and the environment. NRDC has offices in New York City, Washington, D.C., Los Angeles, San Francisco, Chicago, Bozeman, MT, and Beijing. Visit us at www.nrdc.org and follow us on Twitter @NRDC.​

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