Brewers band together to oppose nominee to head EPA

We are in an unsettling political time where even people who wouldn’t normally speak up or pay attention to issues are doing so. It’s an environment where craft brewers — never ones to sit on the sidelines from causes they find to be important — fit right in. This week, a group of 32 craft brewers sent a letter to the U.S. Senate asking members to vote against Scott Pruitt’s nomination to lead the Environmental Protection Agency. These brewers, who are partners in NRDC’s Brewers for Clean Water campaign, are standing up for the clean water protections that are so important for the industry and, you know, all life on planet earth.

You can check the actual letter in this link, or below, along with the list of breweries that signed.

Dear Senators:

Please vote against the confirmation of Scott Pruitt as Administrator of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Mr. Pruitt’s record of attacking clean water protections shows that he is the wrong choice to lead the agency.

Our breweries cannot operate without reliable, clean water supplies. Together, our businesses employ hundreds of people, and our beers are shipped across the country. We need an EPA administrator who will adopt and enforce policies that protect the water sources we use to make our great-tasting beer. Mr. Pruitt’s actions as Oklahoma Attorney General, however, demonstrate a history of attacking and undermining the protections on which we depend.

Mr. Pruitt has challenged virtually every important EPA safeguard in recent years, often falsely accusing the agency of overstepping its authority. We need an EPA administrator who will enforce our laws to protect our resources and our communities, not someone who tries to weaken safeguards on behalf of polluters.

Beer is about 90 percent water, making local water supply quality and its characteristics, such as pH and mineral content, critical to beer brewing and the flavor of many classic brews. Changes to our water supply – whether we draw directly from a water source or from a municipal supply – threaten our ability to consistently produce our great-tasting beer, and thus, our bottom line.

Protecting clean water is central to our business and our long-term success. Not only does the great-tasting beer we brew depend on it, but so do the communities in which we operate. Mr. Pruitt cannot be trusted to protect America’s water resources. We hope that we can count on you to oppose his confirmation to head EPA.

Sincerely,

Allagash Brewing Company (Maine)
Andersonville Brewing Co. (Illinois)
Bang Brewing (Minnesota)
Bar Hygge/Brewery Techne (Pennsylvania)
Blue Mountain Brewery/Blue Mountain Barrel House (Virginia)
Brewery Vivant (Michigan)
Brooklyn Brewery (New York)
Center of the Universe Brewing Company (Virginia)
Earth Bread + Brewery (Pennsylvania)
Engrained Brewing Company (Illinois)
Flying Mouse Brewery (Virginia)
Garden Grove Brewing Company (Virginia)
Goose Island Beer Co. (Illinois)
Greenstar Organic Brewery (Illinois)
Half Acre Beer Company (Illinois)
Hops & Grain Brewing (Texas)
Horse & Dragon Brewing Company (Colorado)
KelSo Beer Company (New York)
Lakefront Brewery (Wisconsin)
Maine Beer Company (Maine)
New Belgium Brewing Company (Colorado)
Oak Park Brewing Company (Colorado)
Right Brain Brewery (Michigan)
Rising Tide Brewing Company (Maine)
Saint Benjamin Brewing Company (Pennsylvania)
Smuttynose Brewing Company (New Hampshire)
South Street Brewery (Virginia)
Starr Hill Brewery (Virginia)
Temperance Beer Co. (Illinois)
Two Brothers Brewing Company (Illinois)
Wild Wolf Brewing Company (Virginia)