Disappointed in EPA official’s stance on climate-change causes

“Trump appoints Colo.-based exec of utility as regional EPA chief,” Oct. 6 news story.

It’s hard to believe that President Donald Trump’s pick to lead the Environmental Protection Agency’s regional office here in Denver, Doug Benevento, does not accept the conclusion of multiple studies published in peer-reviewed scientific journals demonstrating 97 percent of actively publishing climate scientists agree that climate-warming over the past century is extremely likely due to human activities. In addition, most leading scientific organizations worldwide have issued public statements endorsing this conclusion.

I am also disappointed that Benevento agrees with the president that the U.S. should sacrifice our global leadership by being the first nation to withdraw from the Paris climate accord signed by 195 countries.

I hope that Benevento will quickly come to accept the overwhelming scientific consensus and the advice of EPA scientists, be a factbased decision-maker, and become a persuasive force in EPA Region 8 and in the administration to accept the facts of the climate crisis.