Trump Administration Fires Environmental Justice Staff, Leaving Our Air and Water Vulnerable to Fossil Fuel Pollution

Washington, D.C. - According to a notice reported by POLITICO's E&E News, in a first round of layoffs, the Trump administration will begin firing Environmental Protection Agency staff focused on environmental justice issues on July 31.

In response, Sierra Club Executive Director Ben Jealous issued the following statement:

"The Trump administration is determined to destroy the stated mission of the Environmental Protection Agency to protect human health and the environment. All of us deserve to have clean air to breathe, safe water to drink, and be protected from toxic pollution. Instead, the Trump administration is selling us out to corporate polluters by actively working to slash clean air and water protections and laying off critical environmental justice staff. The people that Donald Trump is putting out of work are hardworking, dedicated civil servants who have devoted their careers to protecting our clean air and water and securing a livable future for us all. The only people who will benefit from their firings are corporate polluters."

About the Sierra Club

The Sierra Club is America's largest and most influential grassroots environmental organization, with millions of members and supporters. In addition to protecting every person's right to get outdoors and access the healing power of nature, the Sierra Club works to promote clean energy, safeguard the health of our communities, protect wildlife, and preserve our remaining wild places through grassroots activism, public education, lobbying, and legal action. For more information, visit www.sierraclub.org.