Mustafa Ali. Photo: Hip Hop Caucus
Mustafa Ali resigned from his post as chief environmental justice official after 24 years in the role. In his resignation letter to new EPA administrator Scott Pruitt, Ali urged Pruitt to take the air and water pollution concerns of minority communities seriously, according to The Hill.
InsideClimate News reports that Ali considers the protection of poor and minority communities from pollution to be a crucial function of the EPA. Ali told the publication that the agency’s new leaders have not given “any indication that they are focused or interested in helping those vulnerable communities. My values and priorities seem to be different than our current leadership and because of that I feel that it’s best if I take my talents elsewhere.”
Ali’s resignation was reported on the same day Pruitt denied that carbon dioxide is a primary contributor to global warming. The New York Times reports Pruitt’s stance is at odds with the global scientific consensus on climate change and is not consistent with decades of research by federal agencies.
Ali has now joined The Hip Hop Caucus as the new senior vice president of climate, environmental justice & community revitalization.