The lead executive of Sierra Club is calling Donald Trump’s energy plan “pitiful,” suggesting Trump’s campaign is much like the presumptive GOP nominee’s opinion of climate change.
“A total hoax. Bulls—t. A con job. You might think these are good words to describe Donald Trump’s campaign,” wrote Michael Brune, executive director of environmental group Sierra Club, in a Thursday post highlighting the problems with a Trump energy policy.
But “No,” those aren’t him describing his campaign, “they’re his take on the climate crisis,” Brune said.
“The facts are clear: Climate change poses an urgent threat that requires immediate action.”
Brune said the energy speech Trump will deliver in North Dakota today will lack any plan for addressing climate change, and that’s a big problem for environmentalists.
“Not only has Donald Trump failed to propose a plan to address climate change — he won’t even admit that it’s happening,” Brune writes as the No. 1 problem with Trump’s policy.
Brune’s post outlines other problems with the presumptive nominee’s energy policy. He wrote that Trump’s plan to renegotiate last year’s landmark climate change deal agreed to by President Obama in Paris would undermine U.S. leadership globally.
He also wrote that Trump wants to bring back coal, and that it’s a big affront to Sierra Club especially, which has been waging a campaign to close every coal plant in the country through civil lawsuits.
“Currently, 233 U.S. coal plants have been retired or are set for retirement. Donald Trump says he wants to bring back coal, the world’s dirtiest fuel.”
Trump also wants to eliminate the Environmental Protection Agency. This is a top concern for the environmental community, which argues that closing the agency would place many Americans’ health at risk.
“[H]is proposal to cut the EPA is boneheaded,” Brune wrote.
Brune’s final problem with Trump’s policy is that Trump’s own businesses are hurting the environment.
“Donald Trump’s business ventures are already devastating the environment,” he wrote. “Trump cut down about 500 trees so that his Virginia golf course could have more than a ‘little glimpse’ of the river. His New Jersey golf course has been cited for a ‘string of violations.’ One luxury development in Scotland left the local community without water for years.”
“Donald Trump clearly cares more about the fate of his golf courses than the health of the millions of families affected by the climate crisis,” Brune added.
