WASHINGTON - Today, Donald Trump announced his intent to nominate Steven Gardner, a coal industry insider beholden to polluters, to be responsible for protecting America’s land, air, and water from coal pollution as director of the Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement (OSMRE).

In response, Bill Price, Senior Organizing Representative for Sierra Club’s Beyond Coal campaign in Appalachia, released the following statement:

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"Nominating Steven Gardner to direct the Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement is akin to hiring a wolf to guard sheep. He’s a lifelong servant of the coal industry who has consistently put the profits of billionaire coal executives above the safety of workers and the enforcement of clean air and water protections for communities living near coal mining sites.

"Make no mistake, Gardner is a creature of the polluter class that has shown time and time again that he will quickly sacrifice vital protections for families living in coal impacted communities to help greedy executives make their coal companies more profitable. We stand firmly against his nomination and will strongly push back against his confirmation.”

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