Quigley Invites Scott Pruitt to Climate Change Debate

WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Representative Mike Quigley (IL-05), a member of the House Sustainable Energy and Environment Coalition (SEEC), released the following statement reiterating his invite to Scott Pruitt, President-Elect Trump's nominee for EPA Administrator, to come to Chicago for a debate on the science of climate change:

Scott Pruitt has said that the debate on climate change is "far from settled." He has called it a "trend," on which scientists "continue to disagree." On his own LinkedIn page he touts his efforts to lead "the charge with repeated notices and subsequent lawsuits against the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for their leadership's activist agenda." These are direct quotes from the man that will be tasked to identify and help solve the environmental problems that threaten our earth and all who inhabit it.

Mr. Pruitt has also said that the debate on climate change "should be encouraged — in classrooms, public forums, and the halls of Congress." Well, Mr. Pruitt, if you really think so, let us have that debate.

Mr. Pruitt's words are not only incorrect; they are dangerous. The warming of our planet is not a trend, and the evidence of its existence is indisputable. Top scientists, as well as the over 12,000 peer-reviewed studies on the issue, do not vary on their acceptance of this life-threatening crisis or acknowledgement of its man-made causes. The climate crisis posses severe risks to every aspect of our way of life. Extending beyond the food we eat, the water we drink, and the air we breathe, climate change endangers our public health, our economic competitiveness, and our national security.

We cannot sit on our hands for the next four years as the pressing environmental threats of today continue into tomorrow. These dangers will only grow and expand. That is why we need immediate action and constructive, bipartisan policy to combat these realities and protect our world for future generations. As we look forward to 2017, we must begin a new conversation with the leaders President-Elect Trump has chosen to help address the challenges that face our nation. This debate is a good place to start.