FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 24, 2024
Contact: Rebecca Stoner, rebecca.stoner@priceofoil.org, +1 917 561 2607
Breaking: 5,000 Candidates Have Now Signed the No Fossil Fuel Money Pledge
The Pledge’s success demonstrates how much getting fossil fuel money out of politics matters to voters.
Washington, DC – Melissa Demyan, a candidate for the Washington State House of Representatives, just became the 5,000th politician to sign her name to the No Fossil Fuel Money Pledge since its 2017 founding. As a result of grassroots pressure from constituents, over 1,000 candidates and elected officials running for election in this critical cycle have signed on to reject money from oil, gas, and coal executives, lobbyists, and PACs.
As voting begins and volunteers knock doors, the success of the pledge demonstrates how much getting fossil fuel money out of politics matters to voters. Pledging to reject money from fossil fuel industry PACs, lobbyists, and executives is now a necessary position and litmus test for any candidate claiming “climate leadership.”
No Fossil Fuel Money Pledge signers hail from 49 states and all levels of government, from small town councils to state houses to the Oval Office. Signers include over 60 sitting members of Congress, hundreds of state legislators, President Joe Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris, and Minnesota Governor Tim Walz. Harris and Walz’s position on fossil fuel money stands in stark contrast to Donald Trump’s, who has received record donations from Big Oil.
The No Fossil Fuel Money coalition, composed of dozens of national, state, and local advocacy groups across the country, recently debuted a new tool allowing voters to enter their ZIP Code and see which candidates on their ballot have committed to reject fossil fuel money. Tool users can also see how much fossil fuel money candidates who haven’t taken the pledge have received and contact those candidates urging them to take the No Fossil Fuel Money Pledge. The tool has already brought the coalition many new signers at all levels, as voters have asked candidates in their districts to reject fossil fuel money.
A fully updated list of No Fossil Fuel Money Pledge signers can be found on the coalition website: https://nofossilfuelmoney.org/pledge-signers
To get involved with efforts to elect No Fossil Fuel Money Pledge signers, sign up for Lead Locally’s Calls for Climate phonebanks.
Statements:
Sue Altman, candidate for U.S. House of Representatives in New Jersey’s 7th Congressional District:
“Throughout his 23-year political career in Trenton and Washington, my opponent Tom Kean, Jr., has accepted thousands of dollars from the fossil fuel industry while voting on legislation that benefits their business operations.
“Our representatives should be above reproach when it comes to the influence of corporate special interests, which is why I’ve refused to take campaign contributions from corporate PACs. New Jersey has been a leader in building a clean energy economy because we recognize these investments are key to a strong 21st century economy, confronting the climate crisis, and reducing the influence of oil and gas companies over our political institutions.”
Khanh Pham, Oregon State Representative (District 46) and candidate for Oregon State Senate (District 23):
“In my time as a state representative, I’ve seen Oregon suffer from record-breaking heatwaves and droughts, as well as devastating wildfires. I’m proud to have signed the No Fossil Fuel Money Pledge because it represents a promise to my community that I’m fighting for their futures, not the corporate profits of the fossil fuel industry. I’ve kept that promise by championing the COAL Act to divest our Treasury investments from coal, $10 million for Community resilience hubs, and one of the country’s most ambitious 100% clean electricity standards. Because I’ve signed the Pledge, my constituents can trust I’ll continue to fight for a sustainable future for all if elected to the Oregon State Senate.”
Anna Hernandez, Arizona State Senator (District 24) and candidate for Phoenix City Council:
“I’m proud to sign the No Fossil Fuel Money Pledge as I run for Phoenix City Council, because our community deserves leaders who put people over profits. In an era of climate crisis and mounting impacts like deadly heatwaves and droughts, we must work for a future that prioritizes the health of our communities and the climate. Rejecting fossil fuel money is a key step toward that future. Together, we can build a Phoenix where our families thrive.”
Devin Davis, candidate for U.S. House of Representatives in Louisiana’s 2nd Congressional District:
“We need elected officials who will fight for our future, not for fossil fuel executives’ profits. My family is from ‘Cancer Alley,’ a majority-Black region in Louisiana where people have a 95% higher chance of developing cancer than in other regions. My grandfather died of prostate cancer in his early 60s after working at a Shell oil refinery in Cancer Alley all his life. At his funeral I heard people whisper, ‘that’s just the cost of living here.’
“I’m running for Congress because I’m tired of accepting that high cancer rates, dangerous jobs, and poisoned air are just a part of life. They’re not. They’re policy decisions that elected leaders made because their fossil fuel donors told them to do so. My opponent has accepted $52,900 from the oil and gas industry. He even took the No Fossil Fuel Money Pledge and then broke it. We deserve better. Unfortunately, it’s not enough to deserve better. We have to demand better by electing new leaders who are unbought and ready to fight for the future we deserve.”
Collin Rees, Campaign Manager at Oil Change U.S.:
“Fossil fuel money in politics has long been one of the biggest barriers to climate action. The No Fossil Fuel Money Pledge is changing that. We now have a powerful class of politicians – 5,000 strong and growing – who’ve pledged to reject the Big Oil and Gas’s dirty money. This is only possible thanks to hundreds of thousands of voters who’ve asked their candidates and leaders to sign the pledge, demanding representatives who will use their platforms to fight for people, not polluters.”
RL Miller, Political Director at Climate Hawks Vote:
“I debuted the No Fossil Fuel Money pledge at a 2017 California Democratic Party convention, and since then it’s become a fixture – candidates clamor to sign it, and live-stream their signing of the pledge, to demonstrate their commitment to run fossil-free campaigns. Kamala Harris signed the pledge with me, and she’s honored that pledge – just check the fine print on the Harris Victory Fund ActBlue page. Rejecting dirty money is now a mainstream plank of Democratic party platforms up and down the ballot.”
John Qua, Campaign Director at Lead Locally:
“The influence of fossil fuel and utility money on our elections has long hindered progress towards climate and environmental justice at the local and state level. The No Fossil Fuel Money pledge has hit 5,000 signers because candidates and organizers up and down the ballot have run brave campaigns against the fossil fuel industry – and voters more and more each year know it’s time to take action on the climate crisis with leaders accountable to people.”
Stevie O’Hanlon, Communications Director at Sunrise Movement:
“Just a handful of years ago, Big Oil’s influence in politics was unchecked. They had successfully stopped nearly any climate action. Today, thousands of politicians have broken from Big Oil and have played critical roles in passing the boldest climate legislation in U.S. history.”
