By Karuna Jaggar, Executive Director

Scott Pruitt

Scott Pruitt, President-elect Donald Trump’s pick to head the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
Photo Credit: Gage Skidmore

Since our founding, we’ve worked to stop cancer before it starts by seeking to eliminate toxic chemicals in our environment—in our water, air, food and products we use daily—that increase our risk of breast cancer and which can interfere with breast cancer treatments. Everyone in the U.S., especially those with the least resources, depend on the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to protect us from significant environmental risks where we live, learn, work and play.

That’s why we’re outraged that President-elect Donald Trump has picked Scott Pruitt to lead the EPA. Rather than protecting us from the toxic chemicals linked to breast cancer in our environment, Pruitt’s record shows time and time again that he puts corporate profit before public health.

Here are some of the ways Pruitt’s confirmation would threaten the health of women living with and at risk of breast cancer:

  • He opposes health and safety regulations to protect public health, leaving us all at risk of toxic exposures which increase the risk of breast cancer and may interfere with breast cancer treatments. He boasts about suing the agency he’s been picked to run—claiming that the EPA has an “activist agenda.” The New York Times called Pruitt “an enemy of the EPA.”
  • He is pro-industry and specifically seeks to expand fracking and dangerous drilling, which relies on toxic chemicals, including known human carcinogens. He helped form an “unprecedented, secretive alliance” between attorney generals and oil and gas industries to work against the EPA. Through this alliance, he submitted a letter—written by a fracking corporation itself!—to the Obama administration opposing fracking regulations on federal land. Pruitt has personally accepted over $300,000 in campaign contributions from the oil and gas industry.
  • He is anti-science. He has been a vocal denier of climate change, and has even called it a hoax. Protecting public health from toxic chemicals requires being able to objectively evaluate scientific evidence—and his record on climate change shows he will put his personal politics before science.

We need an EPA administrator who is going to protect us from being exposed to chemicals linked to breast cancer—not work with corporations to bring the agency down!

Ultimately, Pruitt is an anti-science, corporate crony who will not work to protect women’s health. Tell the Senators holding his hearing to do everything in their power to block his confirmation.

The U.S. Senate Committee on Environment & Public Works will hold a hearing on Pruitt’s nomination on Wednesday, January, 18 at 10 a.m.ET.

Starting today please call members of this Committee in this order of priority:

  • If you live in a Committee member’s state—calls from constituents are very effective.
  • Call the Chair of the Committee regardless of where you live—the Chair is responsible for taking into account concerns about the Committee.
  • If you can, call all the members of the Committee—the more members in the Committee you speak to, the better!

Here are the Committee members:

  • Chair: John Barrasso, R-Wyoming, (202)-224-6441
  • Dan Sullivan (R-AK) (202) 224-3004
  • Jeff Sessions (R-AL) (202) 224-4124
  • John Boozeman (R-AR) (202) 224-4843
  • Kamala Harris (D-CA) (202) 224-3553
  • Thomas Carper (D-DE) (202) 224-2441
  • Joni Ernst (R-IA) (202) 224-3254
  • Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) (202)-224-2854
  • Jerry Moran (R-KS) (202) 224-6521
  • Edward Markey (D-MA) (202)-224-2742
  • Benjamin Cardin (D-MD) (202) 224-4524
  • Roger Wicker (R-MS) (202) 224-6253
  • Deb Fischer (R-NE) (202) 224-6551
  • Cory Booker (D-NJ) (202) 224-3224
  • Kirsten Gilibrand (D-NY) (202) 224-4451
  • James Inhofe (R-OK) (202) 224-4721
  • Jeff Merkley (D-OR) (202) 224-3753
  • Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) (202) 224-2921
  • Mike Rounds (R-SD) (202) 224-5842
  • Bernie Sanders (D-VT) (202) 224-5141
  • Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV) (202)-224-6472

Sample Call Script:

Hello, my name is [your name] and I am calling regarding the Committee on Environment & Public Works’ Senate hearing on the nomination of Scott Pruitt to be the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency.  [If you vote in the Senator’s state, say: I am a constituent of {Senator’s name}].

I want [Senator’s name] to do everything in their power to block Pruitt from leading the EPA. As someone [explain how you’ve been affected by breast cancer or why you care about the breast cancer epidemic], this issue is very important to me. Scientific evidence has long showed that numerous environmental exposures can increase our risk of breast cancer—and can even interfere with common breast cancer treatments. 

Pruitt cannot be trusted to protect us from the toxic chemicals linked to breast cancer in our environment. His record shows that he is anti-science, pro-industry and ultimately puts corporate profit over public health. I urge Senator [Senator’s name] to stand up for women’s health and oppose Pruitt’s nomination. Thank you.

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