FreedomWorks Drives Nearly 27,000 Contacts to U.S. Senate in Support of EPA Nominee Scott Pruitt’s Confirmation

FreedomWorks today announced that its grassroots activist community has driven nearly 27,000 contacts to Members of the United States Senate in support of Oklahoma Attorney General Scott Pruitt’s confirmation to serve as administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). President-elect Donald Trump named Attorney General Pruitt as his nominee for this post on Wednesday, December 7.

FreedomWorks’ target list includes Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.V.), who, on Thursday, indicated that he would support Attorney General Pruitt’s confirmation. FreedomWorks drove more than 1,200 contacts to Sen. Manchin’s office.

“Virtually every state has been negatively impacted by the EPA’s out-of-control regulation and will see increased energy costs as a result of the Clean Power Plan. West Virginians are among the hardest hit, according to a 2015 study projecting a 33 percent annual energy price increase,” said FreedomWorks National Director of Campaigns Noah Wall. “In the past ten years, the EPA has issued regulatory edicts, without the consent of Congress, that cost $1 trillion. Seventy-five percent of these rules have been forced on the American people on President Obama’s watch.”

“Senators in other states that will see substantial increases in energy costs under the Clean Power Plan – such as Indiana, Missouri, Montana, North Dakota, Ohio, and Pennsylvania – should follow the lead of Sen. Manchin. In November, the American people showed that they want to ‘drain the swamp,’ and confirming Attorney General Pruitt to lead the EPA is a crucial aspect of fulfilling that goal,” Wall added.

On Friday, Real Clear Energy published an op-ed authored by FreedomWorks CEO Adam Brandon, who made the case for Attorney General Pruitt’s confirmation to the EPA. “Pruitt will defend separation of powers. As attorney general of Oklahoma, Pruitt has led the charge against the Clean Power Plan (CPP), a series of EPA regulations crafted by the Obama administration that attempt to reduce greenhouse emissions from power plants,” Brandon wrote. “Pruitt will ensure that the EPA plays by the rules and goes through Congress. By doing so, he will promote the best method for producing effective environmental policy: bipartisan efforts in Congress, not top-down decisions made by unelected officials.”

“Pruitt has shown himself to be an audacious and effective leader, willing to question establishment conventions in defense of the Constitution. Under him, the EPA will develop strategic, specific solutions to environmental issues that take both innovations from the private sector and the concerns of the states into account. The Senate must honor the American principles Pruitt has so ardently defended and immediately confirm his appointment,” Brandon concluded.

In addition to driving contacts to Members of the U.S. Senate, FreedomWorks has organized office visits to nine senators, including Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio), Tim Kaine (D-Va.), Bill Nelson (D-Fla.), and Mark Warner (D-Va.). The organization will participate in ten events in five states – including Ohio, South Carolina, and Tennessee – between January 10 and January 19 to continue efforts to rally support for Attorney General Pruitt’s confirmation.

FreedomWorks will key vote the committee and floor votes on Attorney General Pruitt’s confirmation on its 2017 Congressional Scorecard. The scorecard is used to determine eligibility for the FreedomFighter Award, which recognizes Members of the House and Senate who consistently vote to support economic freedom and individual liberty.

FreedomWorks aims to educate, build, and mobilize the largest network of activists advocating the principles of smaller government, lower taxes, free markets, personal liberty and the rule of law. For more information, please visit www.FreedomWorks.org or contact Jason Pye at JPye@freedomworks.org.