Open letter to Every single Commonwealth of Virginia Senator

 

As a former DEQ employee, I believe that I have a valid perspective on environmental issues in Virginia.  I must urge that Andrew Wheeler not be confirmed as Natural Resources Secretary of Virginia.  I cannot imagine a worse choice for this position.  I wonder whether you are aware of his record at the federal EPA:

 

• Replaced the Clean Power Plan, President Obama’s signature plan to reduce fossil fuel emissions, with a weaker rule that underestimated public health impacts and would likely  increase air pollution;
• Gutted core protections of the Clean Water Act by redefining which waterways were protected under federal law, eliminating protection for 18% of streams and 51% of freshwater wetlands nationwide.
• Rolled back the Mercury and Air Toxics standards, despite scientists’ warnings that mercury harms children’s health and bi-partisan support in Congress;
• Eliminated the EPA’s Office of the Science Advisor position, which gave scientific counsel on health and environmental standards to the EPA;
• Weakened requirements and extended cleanup deadlines for coal ash ponds in favor of industry, despite the human health risk of cancer, neurological disease, and cardiovascular disease linked to leaking coal ponds contaminating communities’ drinking water;
• Ruled the amount of dangerous contaminants, PFAS (poly- and perfluoroalkyl substances), allowed in our water to be at a level 7–10x higher than the level deemed safe by the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry;
• Froze fuel efficiency standards for cars;
• Delayed a formaldehyde report, which concluded that the chemical causes leukemia, nose cancer, and throat cancer, in favor of industry interest;
• Weakened methane rules meant to curb waste and prevent hundreds of thousands of tons of greenhouse gas from leaking into the atmosphere;
• Disbanded the 20- person Particle Matter Review Panel, a group tasked with determining what levels of air pollutants are safe to breathe;
• Silenced climate science on the agency website, which scrubbed all references of human-caused climate change.
• Sought to slash the Chesapeake Bay Program’s budget by 90%, gutting federal support for the Bay Cleanup effort.

You may wish to poll the level of interest in our environment held by the majority of Virginia voters before you confirm Mr. Wheeler as requested by Governor Youngkin.

Link to VA Senators:  https://apps.senate.virginia.gov/Senator/districtdesclist.php