TOP CLIMATE GROUPS: On Day One, Trump Attacked Our Health, Environment, Climate and Clean Energy Jobs

President Trump’s Day One policies will raise energy prices for consumers and increase the climate pollution driving climate impacts such as the Los Angeles wildfires and extreme weather events like Hurricane Helene. His actions today put every American at risk.

Leaders from the Climate Action Campaign, Environmental Defense Fund, League of Conservation Voters, Natural Resources Defense Council, and Sierra Club condemn these actions and urge Congress to block rollbacks of clean energy investments and climate, clean air and clean water protections. The steps President Trump took today will lead to higher energy costs for consumers, more climate pollution, and more intense extreme weather events, like the catastrophic Los Angeles wildfires, Hurricanes Helene and Milton, and other deadly disasters.

“Donald Trump wasted no time delivering for his big polluter cronies at the expense of the rest of us. His Day One executive orders threaten our environment, our economy, and our health,” said Margie Alt, director of the Climate Action Campaign. “Nobody wants dirtier air or polluted water. We don’t want extreme weather to keep getting worse or energy prices to keep going up. Yet that’s what Trump’s plans will do. We will work to prevent these rollbacks from going into effect. Together we will Stand Strong for Climate to protect our health and environment and continue building the clean energy economy.”

“It’s the second day of the second Trump presidency, and there are three things we know for sure: there is no energy emergency; there is a climate emergency; and the policies rolled out in these past 24 hours will make the climate crisis worse,” said NRDC president & CEO Manish Bapna. “This administration and its fossil fuel backers are coming in more organized than they were before, but so are we. We can already see from the agenda being pursued that this administration will put oligarch profits over people protections and billionaire wealth over working families’ well-being. And we will do everything we can to stand up for people, health, and climate.”

“The President of the United States is elected to lead and protect all Americans. Donald Trump promised to be a president who fights for working families, but his bluster of actions yesterday shows he’s fighting harder to protect corporate polluters and their profits, all at the expense of our health, our safety, and our jobs,” said Ben Jealous, Sierra Club executive director. “The American people want cheaper energy bills, safe drinking water, and clean air. Donald Trump should listen and offer actual solutions instead of exploiting their pain for political gain while he further lines the pockets of the wealthiest instead of American workers.”

“The United States needs an agenda that actually helps American families. By investing in clean and affordable energy and strengthening protections for our air, water and climate, the United States has created hundreds of thousands of jobs, while cutting the pollution that’s harming people’s health and fueling destructive storms and skyrocketing insurance costs,” said Amanda Leland, executive director of Environmental Defense Fund. “Communities, states and leading businesses are forging ahead with this vision for a better, brighter America. This is no time for surrender in the fight for American leadership and prosperity – and a healthy future for our kids.”

“It’s very clear that Trump’s dirty and dangerous energy plan will increase profits for Big Polluters, increase costs for families, and increase climate disasters,” said Gene Karpinski, president of the League of Conservation Voters. “Eight years ago, we focused on climate action in the states and as a result we built support for a clean energy future. Now, people across the country are benefitting from the clean energy economy that is lowering costs, creating high-paying jobs, protecting the health and safety of our communities, and tackling the climate crisis. That’s why we are all in to defend the recent climate progress and bedrock environmental laws to continue to make progress at the state and local level.”

For additional statements from CAC coalition groups, see here.

A recording of today’s press conference is available here.

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About CAC
Climate Action Campaign (CAC) is a vibrant coalition of advocacy organizations working together to drive ambitious, durable federal action to cut carbon pollution, address the climate crisis, advance environmental justice, and accelerate the transition to clean energy. Our goal is to reduce carbon pollution and accelerate the transition to clean energy through policies focused on climate, justice, and jobs and expanding opportunity for all.

About the Environmental Defense Fund
One of the world’s leading international nonprofit organizations, Environmental Defense Fund (edf.org) creates transformational solutions to the most serious environmental problems. To do so, EDF links science, economics, law, and innovative private-sector partnerships. With more than 3 million members and offices in the United States, China, Mexico, Indonesia and the European Union, EDF’s scientists, economists, attorneys and policy experts are working in 28 countries to turn our solutions into action. Connect with us on Twitter @EnvDefenseFund

About the League of Conservation Voters
The League of Conservation Voters builds political power for people and the planet. We influence policy, hold politicians accountable, and win elections in order to create safe and healthy communities protected by a just and equitable democracy. lcv.org

About the Natural Resources Defense Council
NRDC (Natural Resources Defense Council) is an international nonprofit environmental organization with more than 3 million members and online activists. Established in 1970, NRDC uses science, policy, law, and people power to confront the climate crisis, protect public health, and safeguard nature. NRDC has offices in New York City, Washington, D.C., Los Angeles, San Francisco, Chicago, Bozeman, MT, Beijing and Delhi (an office of NRDC India Pvt. Ltd). Visit us at www.nrdc.org and follow us on Twitter @NRDC.

About the Sierra Club
The Sierra Club is America’s largest and most influential grassroots environmental organization, with millions of members and supporters. In addition to protecting every person’s right to get outdoors and access the healing power of nature, the Sierra Club works to promote clean energy, safeguard the health of our communities, protect wildlife, and preserve our remaining wild places through grassroots activism, public education, lobbying, and legal action. For more information, visit www.sierraclub.org.