Washington (December 13, 2016) – Senator Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.), a member of the Foreign Relations Committee and Environment and Public Works Committee, released the following statement today after President-elect Donald Trump announced plans to nominate ExxonMobil CEO Rex Tillerson to be Secretary of State and Ricky Perry to be Secretary of Energy. These announcements come in the wake of the planned nomination of Scott Pruitt to be Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency and the likely nomination of Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers to be Secretary of the Interior.
“In a Donald Trump administration, America’s foreign policy, energy policy, and environmental policy are all linked by one thing – oil.
“Donald Trump is drafting a cabinet of Big Oil All-Stars with the plan to drag us back to 19th century dirty energy sources and derail our 21st century clean energy future. These nominations are clear confirmation that a Trump administration will doggedly pursue an “oil above all” energy agenda domestically and overseas, at the expense of our economy, national security, and public health. Both Scott Pruitt and Rick Perry have spoken about eliminating the very agencies they are now nominated to lead and have denied the science of climate change. And ExxonMobil’s global drilling interests, especially in Russia and the Ukraine, raise serious questions about conflicts of interest for Mr. Tillerson. Donald Trump doesn’t want to drain the swamp, he wants to drill in it. These nominees’ ties to fossil fuel interests are as deep as an oil well.
“These nominations are a harbinger of what’s to come under a Trump administration – a system where oil and gas profits will be paid for by those who suffer the consequences of war, environmental injustice, and climate change. As the world forges ahead with a global climate accord that will help move us toward an energy system that does not threaten people or the planet, we must recommit to making progress on climate change and defend the bedrock environmental protections that ensure clean air, water, and land.
“The Trump administration should expect a fight on all of these nominations.”
