We just had proof that what we do works. When we stand up for clean air and for kids’ health, people listen. Politicians, too, will listen. They want your votes.
I cannot express how happy I am to tell you that an attempt to repeal a rule that protects our health from fracking pollution has failed in the Senate. It proves that clean air can still win. Even in this political climate, our right to clean air can be saved. For now.
This is the first vote that the Trump Administration has lost. He has not understood: No one voted to Make America Dirty Again. No one. The Trump agenda, led by EPA’s Scott Pruitt, to dial back protections from air pollution is not a popular agenda with anyone except the billionaire owners of polluting industries. That doesn’t mean they will give up, though.
Thank you for your tremendous support and for your resiliency. I hope this win emboldens you to keep pushing onward, knowing that together we can still achieve a better world for our children and grandchildren.
Though the deck was stacked against us, the final vote tallied 51-49, because three Republican senators went against their party line. Those senators — John McCain, Lindsay Graham, and Susan Collins — deserve special praise, along with Democratic senators from: California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Hawaii, Illinois, Indiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Dakota, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, and Wisconsin.
Today we celebrate a victory for clean air and take a moment to appreciate our hard work. We need these moments to inspire us and rejuvenate us. It is well-deserved.