Americans deserve a Clean, Healthy Future

Media Contacts
Heather Leibowitz

Environment New York

New York, NY – Environment New York, part of the national federation Environment America which has operations on the ground in 29 states, joined other environmental groups in reacting to the 2016 election outcomes. Heather Leibowitz, Director of Environment New York, issued the following statement in response to the 2016 election results:

“This isn’t the outcome we had hoped for. At a time when sea levels are rising, temperature records are being smashed and extreme weather events threaten Americans across the country, we need to rapidly shift to 100% renewable energy and away from dirty fossil fuels. At a time when children are being poisoned by lead in their drinking water and sewage and manure pollute our rivers, we need to strengthen our clean water protections and invest in clean water infrastructure.  So we were dismayed to hear President-elect Trump deny climate science, vow to withdraw from the Paris climate agreement and dismantle the Environmental Protection Agency during the campaign. These moves would be devastating for a cleaner, healthier future for all Americans.

“Spurred by overwhelming public support, our country has made some real and meaningful progress reducing pollution and improving the quality of our environment. We have no choice but to maintain and accelerate this progress. As Hillary Clinton said, ‘we owe Donald Trump an open mind and chance to lead.’

“Despite President-elect Trump’s campaign rhetoric, we stand ready to work with him to protect the air we breathe the air, the water we drink and the future of our planet. We are confident that the public stands behind us for strong environmental protections.   Election results supporting this include support for upholding California’s bag ban, a rejection of a harmful industry sponsored solar measure in Florida, and the passage in Los Angeles of a measure to fund the largest expansion of mass transit in the history of the city.   

“However, should President-elect Trump decide to attack our country’s fundamental environmental protections, we will work to mobilize our members and allies to vigorously defend them. The American people did not vote for dirty air, dirty water or the destruction of our precious lands and wildlife, and we will work hard to stop any rollbacks as we have in the past.”