Led by the NJ chapter of the Sierra Club, environmental activist groups rallied in Newark on Monday to urge U.S. Senators Cory Booker and Robert Menendez to oppose President-elect Trump’s choices to head key departments that control environmental policy. They included 350NJ, Greenpeace, CREDO, Interfaith Power and Light, Beyond Extreme Energy and The Green Party of Essex County.
The Observer covered the story.
So far all of Trump’s nominees in fields related to environmental protection are deniers of climate change and enthusiasts for dismantling protective regulations.
They include:
Environment Protection Agency: Scott Pruitt, who wants to repeal the Waters of the United States Rule and the Clean Power Plan; as Oklahoma’s attorney general he sued to abolish the Clean Water rule as well as laws regulating toxic metals.
Secretary of State: Rex Tillerson, CEO of Exxon/Mobile (enough said)
Secretary of Energy: Rick Perry, who while campaigning stated his desire to abolish the Dept. of Energy (although at first he could not remember its name)
Secretary of the Interior: Rep. Ryan Zinke of Montana, where he denies climate change despite the melting of Montana Glacier National Park, and supports fracking and increasing mining and exploration on public lands.
Regarding Senate confirmation hearings on all of Trump’s nominees, Booker has already called for delaying hearings until the Office of Congressional Ethics has been able to vet Trump’s choices, and announced he will testify against confirmation of Sen. Jeff Sessions—who was rejected for a post during the Reagan administration because of his racist rhetoric—as attorney general.