Tag: 2020 presidential election

  • Climate Activists React to Biden’s Moves to Ban Fossil Fuel Executives from Transition Team

    FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

    October 1, 2020

    Contact:
    Collin Rees, collin [at] priceofoil.org
    Jamie Henn, jamie [at] fossilfree.media

    Climate Activists React to Biden’s Moves to Ban Fossil Fuel Executives from Transition Team 

    Washington, DC — After pressure from progressives and climate activists, Vice President Joe Biden announced on Thursday that he is barring fossil fuel company leaders and executives from his presidential transition team. 

    This September, over 145 organizations sent Biden a letter requesting that he ban fossil fuel executives, lobbyists, and representatives from his campaign and administration. 

    Today’s announcement from the transition team should block controversial figures like former Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz, who served on the board of Southern Company and regularly advises fossil fuel companies, as well as former Obama Administration official Heather Zichal, who earned $1 million as an advisor and board member for Cheniere Energy, a natural gas company. 

    According to polling from Data for Progress and Fossil Free Media, voters oppose fossil fuel industry lobbyists or representatives working in the executive branch by a 22-point margin. 61 percent of Democrats oppose fossil fuel industry representatives working in the administration, while only 22 percent are open to the idea. 

    Groups involved in the push to ban fossil fuel lobbyists issued the following responses: 

    “Committing to a fossil-free transition team is exactly what we need to see heading into a new administration. Keeping fossil fuel representatives out of the federal government is a position that’s extremely popular with the public, and builds on the key improvements Biden has made to his climate plan, said Collin Rees, Senior Campaigner at Oil Change U.S. “We look forward to this common-sense commitment being extended to cover an eventual Biden Cabinet and administration.” 

    “We’re heartened to see Joe Biden and Kamala Harris listen to grassroots climate hawks,” said RL Miller, political director of Climate Hawks Vote. “Fossil fuel advocates have no place on an administration dedicated to healing the harm Trump has caused and committed to 100 percent clean and renewable electricity by 2035.”

    “This language doesn’t just block people with fossil fuel connections from the transition team, it sets a clear precedent that they should have no place in a future Biden Administration. It’s a promising sign that Biden is preparing to take a more aggressive stance when it comes to the fossil fuel companies that are causing the climate crisis,” said Jamie Henn, director of Fossil Free Media. 

    “A fossil-free transition team is a bare minimum for the distance a Biden administration must keep the cheerleaders of continued fossil fuel use,” said Mitch Jones, Policy Director at Food & Water Action. “The Biden campaign should commit now to excluding fossil fuel champions from any role in a Biden administration. We look forward to working with the Biden transition team and with a Biden administration to assure that they are staffed with climate champions committed to handing on a habitable planet to future generations.”

    “Rejecting fossil fuel influence is a smart move for the Biden-Harris campaign. Voters are hungry to elect a climate champion. Joe Biden is running on the most ambitious climate platform in history, but it won’t mean much if his transition team is stacked with oil and gas insiders. Biden would do well to distance himself from the failed approach of the Trump administration, which is teeming with corporate lobbyists and fossil fuel cronies. While aiming to reject fossil fuel influence from his transition team is a strong start, this is not the end of the road. We urge Biden to commit to banning all fossil fuel executives and lobbyists from his cabinet and administration. Personnel is policy, and we need experts in the White House who put climate and environmental justice ahead of corporate profits,” said Charlie Jiang, Climate Campaigner at Greenpeace USA.

    “Sunrise Movement is pleased to see the Biden-Harris team recognize that there is no place on their transition team for people tied to fossil fuel executives and believe that they should extend this commitment to their cabinet and administration appointments,” said Lauren Maunus, Legislative Manager at Sunrise Movement. “Young people and people around the country are ready for a new chapter in this country in which we prioritize bold climate action that creates millions of good, union jobs and addresses the wounds of systemic racism and economic inequality. Excluding fossil fuel CEOs and their allies helps make this future possible.”

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  • Biden Urged by 145 Groups to Ban Fossil Fuel Representatives in Campaign & Administration

    FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

    September 1, 2020

    Contact:
    Collin Rees, collin [at] priceofoil.org
    Ryan Schleeter, rschleet [at] greenpeace.org
    Jamie Henn, jamie [at] fossilfree.media

    Biden Urged by 145 Groups to Ban Fossil Fuel Representatives in Campaign & Administration

    Today, 145 groups sent a joint letter urging Joe Biden to ban all fossil fuel executives, lobbyists, and representatives from any advisory or official position on his campaign, transition team, cabinet, and administration. The groups ranged from progressive to youth to faith to environmental justice to climate groups and beyond, and cited new polling from Data for Progress and Fossil Free Media showing strong opposition to fossil fuel representatives serving in a Biden administration.

    Click here to read the joint letter from 145 groups to the Biden campaign.

    “My generation is on the line and Biden will lose significant support from young people, as well as everyone else concerned about climate change, were he to allow any fossil fuel executives, lobbyists, or other representatives onto his campaign or administration in any form. Joe Biden has made a commitment to an aggressive climate plan but no climate action commitment can stand in the face of fossil fuel influence. If Biden truly cares about young people like me, he will ban any fossil fuel representatives from taking part in his team,” said Lana Weidgenant, Deputy Director of Partnerships at Zero Hour.

    “Joe Biden can’t address the climate crisis while listening to people taking checks from the fossil fuel industry like Ernest Moniz, Jason Bordoff, Ken Salazar, and Heather Zichal. Biden must act boldly in collaboration with grassroots leaders fighting for environmental and climate justice — which means ruling out positions for dangerous ‘all-of-the-above’ boosters whose time has passed,” said Collin Rees, Senior Campaigner at Oil Change U.S. 

    “In a time of cascading crises that will require a just and thoughtful recovery, fossil fuel CEOs have shown they care only about their bottom line. Joe Biden put forward an ambitious plan to advance environmental justice, tackle the climate emergency, and build back better from the crises we face. But personnel is policy. Stacking the White House with fossil fuel industry executives and lobbyists is a Trump move, and Biden should know better. Our movements — and millions of voters — demand a president ready to look fossil fuel CEOs in the eye and tell them their reign is over,” said Charlie Jiang, climate campaigner with Greenpeace USA. 

    “Joe Biden is championing the most aggressive climate and environmental justice plan of any presidential candidate ever. But if he hires fossil fuel representatives, he’ll lose any credibility he has built among youth activists, frontline communities, and all of us impacted by the climate crisis. We are under no illusion that the same people who extracted massive wealth by creating this existential problem will have any real interest or ability to solve it,” said Kaniela Ing, Climate Justice Director with People’s Action.

    “A leader cannot stand for the people and not protect the people. This current administration has provided us with the results of said behavior and it has not gone well. The people deserve to be protected over profit. Joe Biden’s recent commitment to an aggressive climate plan that includes environmental justice protects the people. After making such a commitment it is expected that it would be fulfilled. The fossil fuel industry has not only done extreme damage to the environment it has also done extreme damage to black, brown, indigenous, and poor communities. We call on the Biden Administration and the DNC to partner with the desires of the suffering by saying no to having fossil fuel representatives in the Biden Administration,” said Rev. Michael Malcom of the People’s Justice Council.

    “Look no farther than Pennsylvania — its citizens who have suffered the health, safety, and economic harms inflicted by shale gas development and its forests and farmlands that have been irreversibly scarred as shale gas infrastructure has metastasized to every part of the state — to see what happens when government and industry become almost indistinguishable from one another. We know all too well that we will not be free of fossil fuels until our government is. Joe Biden can and must be the first fossil fuel-free president,” said Karen Feridun, co-founder of the Better Path Coalition in Pennsylvania.

    “Biden’s pledge to eliminate fossil fuel subsidies is sure to become an empty promise with fossil fuel emissaries whispering in his ear. We do not need a repeat of Obama’s all-of-the-above strategy which gave us the largest expansion of oil and gas production in U.S. history,” said Karen Grainey, co-director of Center for a Sustainable Coast.

    “For forty years the fossil fuel industry has deceived the American public about the consequences of our dependence on oil and gas. They’ve continued their rapacious march toward disaster while people watch their health and that of their land and water deteriorate. As the earth’s ecosystems begin to unravel due to carbon fueled climate change, this industry’s only concern is to drain the last drop of profit from a dying planet. Allowing fossil fuel representatives to have a seat at the energy policy table will destroy any credibility the Biden administration might claim on energy and environment leadership. We ask that you stand with integrity and embrace the energy of the future,” said Kevin Ionno, chair of the Climate Reality Project of Coastal Georgia.

    “As Elizabeth Warren says, personnel is policy. When Bush and Trump were in charge, putting Big Oil executives at the decision-making table was an active policy choice that cost us dearly. We are now out of time with the climate crisis and need people at the table who will support — not slow walk — Biden’s ambitious climate proposals in his Build Back Better plan,” said Caitlin Lang, spokesperson for the Progressive Change Campaign Committee.

    “We’ve all seen the disastrous policy produced by personnel in the Trump Administration. But it’s important for Joe Biden to remember that the same was true for him and President Obama: If you personnel in charge who have been paid millions by the fossil fuel, nuclear and other polluting industries, you will get bad policy too. Real change takes courage, it takes effort, and it takes a change in staffing — anything else is the definition of madness,” said Liz Butler, Vice President of Organizing and Strategic Alliances at Friends of the Earth Action.

    “We are in a climate emergency. Even as Covid-19 rages on, fossil fuel interests continue to prioritize profits over people, lobbying for financial secrecy, bailouts, and environmental rollbacks. For the sake of our children, and the future of this country and our world, the Biden Administration cannot risk depending on fossil fuel interests to guide decision-making on climate policy,” said Fatema Sumar, Vice President of Global Programs, Oxfam America. 

    “There is an inherent conflict between the interests of our people and the interests of corporate CEOs, and hiring fossil fuel executives to institute an environmental justice plan would be the equivalent of hiring a fox to run the hen house. Communities most hurt most by the climate injustice that fossil fuels have brought down on our world are those same marginalized people who are hurt most by every aspect of our current systems where corporate profits are prioritized over people,” said Mohammed Missouri, Executive Director of Jetpac.

    “This election is a matter of life or death for our generation, and Joe Biden and Kamala Harris can only win if young people show up to vote for them in historic numbers. It’s time for Biden to show young people he will fight for our generation by publicly committing to keep fossil fuel executives, lobbyists, and consultants off his team. We cannot afford this polluting influence in a Biden campaign or administration,” said Lauren Maunus, Legislative Manager, Sunrise Movement. 

    “As fossil-fueled fires burn and super-storms rage, the stakes could not be higher for Vice President Biden to listen to the people — not a handful of fossil fuel executives and frack-happy allies like Ernest Moniz. There’s simply no way to fend off climate catastrophe and end environmental racism without tackling fossil fuels, and there’s no path to phase out fossil fuel extraction so long as Big Oil has the White House on speed dial,” said Brett Hartl, Chief Political Strategist at Center for Biological Diversity Action Fund.

    “Thanks to the environment and climate movement’s decades of tireless work to make decision-makers act boldly, the Biden-Harris campaign has adopted the strongest climate platform of any presidential ticket in history. However, real progress will be measured by relationship to communities most impacted and investments in the same. Fossil fuel representatives have no place at the table except to hand over their dirty profits to rebuild what they have broken. Any accomodation to fossil fuel executives will undermine the promise of our  shared work and throw away our chances of a livable future in the climate decade,” said Tamara Toles O’Laughlin of 350 Action.

    Click here to read the full letter.

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  • Tens of Thousands Urge Democrats to Strengthen 2020 Platform on Fossil Fuels

    FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

    August 13, 2020

    CONTACT:
    Collin Rees, Oil Change U.S., collin [at] priceofoil.org
    Brett Hartl, Center for Biological Diversity Action Fund, bretthartl [at] centeractionfund.org
    Lauren Maunus, Sunrise Movement, lauren [at] sunrisemovement.org
    Thanu Yakupitiyage, 350 Action, thanu [at] 350action.org
    Mitch Jones, Food & Water Action, mjones [at] fwwatch.org

    Tens of Thousands Urge Democrats to Strengthen 2020 Platform on Fossil Fuels

    WASHINGTON, DC — More than 30,000 people and ten leading climate and environmental groups today called on the Democratic National Committee (DNC) to strengthen the 2020 party platform’s section on fossil fuel pollution and extraction.

    Today’s petition urges the DNC to develop a plan to slash fossil fuel extraction over the next 10 years while ensuring a just transition for workers and impacted communities. DNC members have been voting on the final platform and are expected to ratify it by the weekend.

    “Protecting our climate requires limiting fossil fuel extraction, but the DNC platform lets the world’s largest polluters drill, frack and mine unlimited oil, gas and coal,” said Brett Hartl, chief political strategist at the Center for Biological Diversity Action Fund. “If we want to have a livable planet and truly address the environmental injustices caused by fossil fuels, the Democratic 2020 platform must do better.”

    After pushback from climate and environmental justice activists, the DNC platform committee revised the early platform draft to include a commitment to ban new oil and gas permitting on public lands and waters — similar to the commitment Vice President Biden made to end all new permitting.

    But the platform still does not include a plan to stop new oil, gas and coal projects and phase out existing fossil fuel production nationwide. That leaves it at odds with what scientists say is necessary to keep warming to 1.5ºC in line with the Paris climate agreement.

    The petition also emphasized the links between fossil fuel production and environmental racism: “From fracking wells to the Keystone XL and Dakota Access pipelines, fossil fuel projects routinely violate Indigenous rights and disproportionately spew toxic emissions into Black communities and other communities of color,” the petition notes.

    The DNC’s draft platform also includes a nod to unproven technology like carbon capture and storage that is favored by the fossil fuel industry as cover for continued fossil fuel production.

    “We’re in a period of compound crises that climate change will exacerbate in unfathomable ways, yet Democratic leadership continues to shy away from dealing with the root causes of the crisis,” said Jenny Marienau Zimmer, 350 Action campaign manager. “It’s time for the Democratic Party to display political will and courage and commit to phasing out fossil fuel extraction. The only clear path is bold climate action and transitioning to a renewable energy economy.”

    “The Democratic Party has made some important strides, but any plan to confront the climate crisis must include a bold plan to tackle the fossil fuel industry and end deadly oil and gas expansion,” said Collin Rees, senior campaigner with Oil Change U.S. “Fossil fuel infrastructure impacts frontline communities first and worst — it’s time for a real just transition that puts workers and communities in charge.”

    “While the GOP props up fossil fuel billionaires, poisoning our communities and threatening a stable climate, the Democratic Party must lead unequivocally with a plan to protect working people and communities in a rapid transition to a renewable energy economy,” said Lauren Maunus, Sunrise Movement legislative manager. “There is no room for negotiation; we simply cannot reduce emissions at the pace science and justice demand while continuing to extract and burn toxic fossil fuels.”

    “We strongly urge the Democratic Party to adopt a bold climate plan with a focus on phasing out fossil fuels,” said Mitch Jones, policy director at Food & Water Action. “We cannot seriously begin to fight off our worsening climate chaos without recognizing the central role extracting, processing and burning fossil fuels has played, and continues to play, in forcing climate change.”

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  • Biden Campaign Urged to Ditch Larry Summers Over Anti-Environment, Anti-Worker Stances

    FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

    May 6, 2020

    Contact:
    Collin Rees, collin [at] priceofoil.org
    Brett Hartl, bretthartl [at] centeractionfund.org
    Maria Langholz, langholzm [at] boldprogressives.org

    Biden Campaign Urged to Ditch Larry Summers Over Anti-Environment, Anti-Worker Stances

    WASHINGTON — More than two dozen leading progressive groups today urged Joe Biden’s presidential campaign to remove Larry Summers from any role in the campaign or a future Biden administration. The groups include the Center for Biological Diversity Action Fund, Sunrise Movement, Justice Democrats, MoveOn, Progressive Change Campaign Committee, Working Families Party and Oil Change U.S.

    Summers is reportedly advising Biden’s campaign on economic policy. Summers was a senior political advisor during the Clinton administration and director of President Obama’s National Economic Council, but he has consistently taken anti-worker, anti-environmental positions throughout his career.

    As today’s letter explains: “Summers has put the interests of large corporations ahead of working families in the United States and around the world, fueled the climate crisis, and undermined efforts to ensure gender equality.”

    “Summers won’t help the Biden administration build a just and green economy or address the dire threat of climate change,” said Brett Hartl, chief political strategist at the Center for Biological Diversity Action Fund. “Summers only cares about the well-being of large corporations, polluters and the billionaire class.”

    The letter notes Summers’ extensive record of steering the U.S. government toward failed “policies that prop up Wall Street at the expense of working people, from fighting efforts to regulate derivatives in the Clinton administration through mismanaging the fallout during the Great Recession.” His credibility, the letter says, is also tarnished by “horrendous comments about women lacking an intrinsic aptitude for math and science, his relationship with Jeffrey Epstein, and known penchant for bullying.”

    The organizations condemn Summers for contributing to the climate emergency on several fronts, including his support for constructing the Keystone XL pipeline and lifting the U.S. national crude oil export ban. Both measures are widely opposed by climate and environmental justice groups for endangering impacted communities’ health and increasing U.S. greenhouse gas pollution.

    “Joe Biden has a major trust gap that he must overcome with voters under 45 who voted overwhelmingly against him in the primary and who he’ll need to defeat Trump,” said Alexandra Rojas, Executive Director of Justice Democrats and Evan Weber, Political Director of the Sunrise Movement. “Larry Summers’ legacy is advocating for policies that contributed to the skyrocketing inequality and climate crisis our generation is living with today. If Biden is serious about doing what’s right by young people — and frankly, if he’s serious about defeating Donald Trump — he’ll publicly reject Summers’ role as an economic advisor and say he’ll have no role in a Biden administration.”

    “It is absolutely critical that Joe Biden win the presidency, and to inspire voters his campaign needs to show it is taking their interests to heart,” said Nick Berning of MoveOn. “Larry Summers used his influence in the last administration to block policies to help struggling homeowners while advancing policies that Wall Street off the hook —and that’s just part of his alarming record. The Biden campaign should prioritize personnel who represent people; it shouldn’t touch Summers with a 10-foot pole. This Wall Street trojan horse has no place in a Biden campaign or administration.”

    “The only way for Biden to win is to mobilize and excite the progressive base, and that means real progressive representation on the ticket, and in the administration. If Biden announced key progressive personnel picks — for VP, Cabinet, and in transition leadership — it would go a long way towards building momentum and excitement for a Biden candidacy. In fact, it’s the only way he’ll win,” said PCCC spokesperson Maria Langholz. “Unfortunately, Larry Summers represents an outdated, business-as-usual politics that does not work for the majority of the American people but instead puts corporate interests first.”

    “Summers made a career out of lending a patina of credibility to the priorities of the powerful and privileged,” said Working Families Party National Director Maurice Mitchell. “He’s sided with organized money over working people on climate change and holding Wall Street accountable. Just this year Summers carried water for billionaires with his baseless criticisms of the Warren-Sanders wealth tax. Biden, the Democratic Party, and America can do so much better than Larry Summers.”

    “Larry Summers has spent decades pushing disastrous policies for working people and the planet,” said Collin Rees, Senior Campaigner at Oil Change U.S. “He’s already derailed progressive change in two Democratic administrations — allowing him access to a third in the midst of our economic and climate crises would be an unmitigated disaster. The Biden campaign needs to drop Summers ASAP.”

    Click here to read the full letter.

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  • No Fossil Fuel Money pledge reaches 2000 signers

    FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

    January 29, 2020

    Contact:
    David Turnbull, david [at] priceofoil [dot] org
    Collin Rees, collin [at] priceofoil [dot] org

    No Fossil Fuel Money pledge reaches 2000 signers

    Rejecting fossil cash now a minimum standard for climate leadership

    Just two and a half years since it was launched, the No Fossil Fuel Money pledge has garnered its 2000th signer this week, with the signing of the pledge by U.S. Senate candidate Charles Booker in Kentucky.

    Launched in July of 2017 by a coalition of national and state-based organizations seeking to combat the role of fossil fuel industry money in state and national politics, the No Fossil Fuel Money pledge has seen a rapid rise in prominence at all levels of politics in the U.S.

    “Rejecting the influence of the fossil fuel industry is now a minimum standard for any Democrat seeking office, and certainly any candidate wishing to be seen as a climate champion. We’re thrilled to see fossil fuel money going the way of tobacco money — it’s toxic to our democracy, our communities, and our climate,” said David Turnbull, Strategic Communications Director with Oil Change U.S., one of the key organizations supporting the pledge efforts.

    A few key statistics regarding the No Fossil Fuel Money pledge signers:

    • Candidates in 49 states plus the District of Columbia have signed the No Fossil Fuel Money pledge. (North Dakota is the only remaining state without a signer.)
    • Every remaining major candidate in the Democratic Presidential primary has signed the pledge, meaning the eventual nominee will be a No Fossil Fuel Money pledge signer. (Deval Patrick, a former Texaco executive and latecomer to the Democratic race, has declined to sign the pledge thus far. He is polling at less than one percent.)
    • Over 50 sitting members of Congress have signed the pledge.
    • Some 550 sitting officeholders have taken the pledge across the country, at various levels of government.
    • 29 Republican candidates have taken the No Fossil Fuel Money pledge, largely at the local and state levels.

    “From local council elections to the presidential race, fossil fuel executives are always looking to exert influence and protect their bottom line. With billions in taxpayer subsidies at stake and a growing movement standing up to out-of-control fossil fuel expansion, it’s no wonder Big Oil tries to buy political favor,” said Collin Rees, Senior Campaigner with Oil Change U.S. “That’s why the No Fossil Fuel Money pledge is so important — it’s a statement to communities that the signer will stand up and fight back against the big polluters wrecking the planet.”

    The full list of No Fossil Fuel Money pledge signers can be found here: http://nofossilfuelmoney.org/pledge-signers/

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  • Oil Change U.S. statement on Jay Inslee departure from presidential race

    FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

    August 21, 2019

    Contact:
    David Turnbull, david [at] priceofoil [dot] org

    Oil Change U.S. statement on Jay Inslee departure from presidential race

    Tonight, Governor Jay Inslee announced he will be ending his campaign for President of the United States. Governor Inslee had made bold climate action the centerpiece of his campaign, which garnered more than 130,000 individual donors in support. In response, David Turnbull, Strategic Communications Director at Oil Change U.S., released the following statement:

    “We send our heartfelt thanks to Governor Inslee and his team for running a campaign centered on climate justice, which has undoubtedly contributed to the unprecedented surge in attention being paid to the climate crisis in the 2020 election.

    “Governor Inslee’s campaign set the gold standard for the eventual Democratic nominee’s approach to climate leadership. While his run for president may be ending, Governor Inslee’s impact on the race will continue through the 2020 election and far beyond as we ramp up our efforts to confront the climate crisis. In his campaign and the policies he has put forward even on the last day of his campaign, Governor Inslee has shown what it means to stand up to the fossil fuel industry and fight for communities impacted by fossil fuel extraction and the climate chaos it is causing. His extensive climate plans should serve as a critical blueprint for any future president. We look forward to standing side by side with the Governor to ensure that the next president lives up to the standard of robust action that Inslee has set in this race.”

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  • Dispatch from the 2019 Netroots Nation Conference in Philly

    From July 11-13, over 3,000 progressive activists from across the United States gathered for the Netroots Nation (NN19) conference in Philadelphia, and Oil Change was there for all the action. While our collective movement for justice has many critical issues, the climate crisis stood out throughout the weekend as a crucial part of the progressive dialogue. Here’s a quick Twitter journey through some climate highlights from NN19:

    As you can imagine, people at this year’s conference were fired up about a Green New Deal. The conference kicked off with a panel on “Making the Green New Deal Real,” moderated by Brad Johnson, with award-winning journalist and New York Times bestselling author Naomi Klein, Sunrise Movement Executive Director Varshini Prakash, New Consensus co-founder and Executive Director Demond Drummer, and well-regarded California politician Kevin de Leon.

    Then, in the afternoon, the Hip Hop Caucus’s podcast, “Think 100%: The Coolest Show on Climate Change,” recorded its latest show live for a gathered crowd at NN19. Hosts Rev. Yearwood and Antonique Smith were joined by special guest Vic J. Barrett. Barrett is one of 21 plaintiffs with Our Children’s Trust who are suing the U.S. federal government to defend the rights of youth and future generations. This whole interview was . 

    On Thursday night, with a rainstorm outside, many of us gathered for a Green New Deal Happy Hour, where notes were compared, plans were made, inspiring speeches were shared, and good food was consumed (there were even eggplant sloppy joes, because yes, that is a thing). 

    As in previous years, Netroots attendees were abuzz about the No Fossil Fuel Money pledge throughout the conference. The pledge has been signed by more than 1,600 politicians from across the country — including 21 of the 2020 Democratic presidential candidates. Along with coalition partners, Oil Change brought a pledge board with permanent markers, and got a whole bunch of signers, old and new, to sign their names.

    Friday kicked off with a critical panel, “Racial Justice & Climate Change: Building A Multiracial Environmental Justice Movement.“ Moderated by Data for Progress Director of Green New Deal Strategy Julian Brave NoiseCat, the panel featured Sunrise Movement Executive Director Varshini Prakash, 350.org U.S. Communications Associate Director Thanu Yakupitiyage, and artist, filmmaker, and digital communications strategist Jade Begay. They were joined by Alexa Ross and O. from Philly Thrive, a Philadelphia-based multiracial, cross-class organization working hard for a just transition away from fossil fuels and toward a thriving, inclusive clean energy future in the city.


    Soon after came the panel “Communicating Climate Action at the Intersections: Perspectives in Storytelling and Narrative,” moderated by Thanu Yakupitiyage with 350.org.

    Afterward, conference participants streamed into the hot summer afternoon heat for a truly amazing and inspiring “Lights for Liberty” rally that took over the streets of Philadelphia:

    At dusk, the Real Climate Leadership Happy Hour kicked off, sponsored by Oil Change U.S., 350 Action, and Climate Hawks Vote. On a breezy evening, dozens of conference attendees joined together to socialize, chat about climate organizing, and learn more about the amazing work Philly Thrive is doing in Philadelphia. Their presentation started with a moment for everybody to take a deep breath and reflect on the right to breathe. CLICK HERE to donate to Philly Thrive’s critical, ongoing work for energy and environmental justice in the city of Philadelphia.

    On Saturday, Washington Gov. Jay Inslee, 2020 Democratic presidential candidate, joined the Netroots Climate Caucus for a few minutes to give a short speech and take a few questions. He talked about his climate plans, the need for real climate leadership, and his continued call for a DNC-sanctioned climate debate. In addition, he discussed his opposition to the Enbridge Line 5 pipeline in Michigan, to cheers from the group. His latest statement on the matter was a call to action for other 2020 contenders: “I hope that every fellow Democratic candidate for President joins me in opposing this dangerous pipeline.” Plenary sessions with candidates also included mention of the climate crisis and the need for bold action. 

    On Saturday afternoon, the “We Paved the Road: A Frontline Perspective on the Green New Deal Moment” panel moderated by Climate Justice Alliance’s Anthony Rogers-Wright, with Sierra Club Pennsylvania’s Coordinator of Philadelphia Climate Works Zakia Elliott, UPROSE (Brooklyn’s oldest Latino community-based organization) Executive Director Elizabeth Yeampierre, and Movement Strategy Innovation Center fellow Anthony Giancatarino. Learn more from Climate Justice Alliance (CJA) about how to center frontline communities in the Just Transition.

    Later Saturday, the Oil Change U.S. team joined dozens of fellow climate activists to disrupt a Democratic National Committee (DNC) panel at the conference and make our voices heard, yet again, to the DNC in our demand for a full DNC-sanctioned climate debate! We packed the room, started a chant, and then several people directly impacted by the climate crisis told their heartfelt stories. 

    The whole thing was live-streamed, and after we left the room, the chant continued in the halls. It looked like this: 

    Due to our collective ongoing efforts, the call for a climate debate has been gaining serious momentum. Under intense pressure from the grassroots, twenty-one 2020 presidential candidates, and even their own membership, the executive committee of the DNC recently voted to reevaluate the #ClimateDebate issue. 

    The proposal will now be reviewed by the DNC’s resolutions committee before going up for a full DNC vote in late August. That means we have just one month to put the pressure on DNC members to make the right decision. Help us keep the pressure on: Tell members of the DNC to fully support a Climate Debate!

    All in all, the Netroots Nation conference made clear that the climate crisis continues to be a top concern, and there is passion and energy around raising our voices, demanding real climate leadership from decision makers, and demanding solutions that meet the scale of this crisis. The historic success of the No Fossil Fuel Money pledge shows just how powerful our efforts have been, and how far we’ve come. But there’s a lot more work to do. 

    We know that standing up to the out-of-control fossil fuel industry is essential if we are going to get ourselves out of this crisis, and the fossil fuel industry is starting to really feel the heat. Want proof? The secretary general of OPEC, Mohammed Barkindo, said that climate activists are “perhaps the greatest threat to our industry going forward.” That was an undeniably true statement, which received a celebratory thank you from Greta Thurnberg and from activists across the world. We’re certainly doing something right…


    Next year, the annual Netroots Nation conference will be in the midst of a heated general election season for 2020, and we can expect more fireworks, more victories, and a whole lot more talk about real climate leadership. We’ll be ready for it.

    PAID FOR BY OIL CHANGE U.S., WWW.OILCHANGEUSA.ORG, NOT AUTHORIZED BY ANY CANDIDATE, CANDIDATE’S AUTHORIZED POLITICAL COMMITTEE, OR CANDIDATE’S AGENTS.

  • Oil Change U.S. response to first set of Democratic presidential debates

    FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

    June 27, 2019

    CONTACT:
    David Turnbull, david [at] priceofoil.org
    Collin Rees, collin [at] priceofoil.org

    Oil Change U.S. response to first set of Democratic presidential debates

    In response to the first two nights of the Democratic presidential debates, David Turnbull, Strategic Communications Director of Oil Change U.S., provided the following comment:

    “The first two nights of Democratic debates proved one thing when it comes to the climate crisis: We need a Climate Debate.

    “Despite some candidates’ attempts to tie in the climate crisis to questions on other topics, the mere fifteen minutes of debate directly focused on the climate crisis of 240 minutes total — a paltry six percent of debate time — didn’t scratch the surface of the robust discussion that the crisis deserves.

    “Climate change is now a top tier issue for Democratic voters according to numerous polls. Eighteen of the twenty candidates onstage this week have taken the No Fossil Fuel Money pledge. Many of them support a Green New Deal, eliminating fossil fuel subsidies, ending fossil fuel leasing on public lands, and an end to fracking. But we didn’t hear these crucial facts, because the debate moderators didn’t spend the time needed to dive into the critical details of the candidates’ plans to tackle the climate crisis.

    “The climate questions asked were far too simplistic, and missed the chance to challenge candidates to demonstrate how committed they are to tackling the climate crisis, and what their plans are to take on the fossil fuel industry. The only thing we learned about the climate crisis this week was that we need a DNC-sanctioned climate debate, moderated by journalists who understand the issue.”

    ###

    Note for Editors:

    – The full list of No Fossil Fuel Money pledge signers can be found here: http://nofossilfuelmoney.org/presidential-signers/

  • No More Dilly-Dallying, Dems: It’s Time for a #ClimateDebate

    Back in the 2016 presidential election, there were  zero questions on the climate crisis in the general election debates. That’s right, zero. And in the preceding Democratic primary debates, the few questions that were asked were shallow and inconsistent, not spurring the kind of robust debate required to address one of the most critical issues of our time.

    Those days of climate silence are over. Thanks to the tireless commitment of grassroots activists across the nation, families from coast to coast who are seeing the effects of climate change and recognizing the urgency through first-hand accounts, and specifically the dedicated young people who have been making some serious waves, the climate crisis has become a top-tier issue in the Democratic primary.

    In this critical 2020 election season, we’re joining allies in demanding that the Democratic National Committee (DNC) acknowledge the importance and urgency of the climate crisis – as well as its renewed political prominence – by devoting one of the presidential primary debates entirely to climate change.

    Due to our collective efforts, the debate is changing and the bar for climate leadership is being raised – in a big way. A new poll released from CNN shows that, for the first time ever, climate change is the number one issue of concern for Democratic and Democratic-leaning independent voters. This is big. A full 96% of respondents in these groups feel it’s important that Democratic candidates support “taking aggressive action to slow the effects of climate change.”

    A Monmouth University poll specifically of Iowa Democratic voters — some of the first voters who will have an official say on the nomination — released last month showed that climate change is a top issue, right after health care, and polling on voters in early primary states from February found that climate is a key motivating issue and that “having a plan to address the climate crisis is seen as essential and is a driver of vote choice.”

    It’s should be no surprise, then, that candidates are paying keen attention to the electorate and coming out with detailed climate plans that start to meet the scale of the crisis. In addition, the list of major presidential candidates signing on to the No Fossil Fuel Money pledge has now hit twelve as more than half of the field of Democratic candidates refuse contributions from the PACs, lobbyists, and executives of fossil fuel companies. When the primary debates start this summer, we expect those candidates still accepting fossil fuel money to represent a small minority of behind-the-times holdouts –marking a historic shift from past election cycles.

    Now, we need to hear detailed explanations of candidates’ climate plans through a full debate focused on climate change. A climate debate will leave room for an informed moderator to take the time needed to press candidates beyond the usual platitudes and seek out specific details of their plans to tackle Big Oil, Gas, and Coal and ensure a just transition. This way, voters will be able to know that whoever is nominated to take on Trump in 2020 has what it takes to stand up to the fossil fuel industry and fight for the bold solutions to the climate crisis that this moment requires.

    Calls for a climate debate are getting louder by the day, and presidential candidates are raising their own voices in support. On Earth Day, Gov. Jay Inslee penned an open letter in support of our movement’s grassroots call for a robust climate debate, urging his fellow candidates to join him. He wrote, “together, as Democratic candidates, we can speak with one voice and demand that our party truly debates the future of our planet.” Fellow candidates Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand and Julián Castro have publicly voiced their support. Who will be next?

    As of now, the DNC is planning for twelve Democratic debates during the 2020 primary season, six in 2019 and then six in 2020. Specific details are still being hammered out, but we know the first Democratic primary debate will be June 26-27 in Miami, hosted by NBC News, MSNBC, and Telemundo. We’ll be joining allies to push for substantive climate questions in every single debate – but we’ll keep up our concerted push for a debate dedicated exclusively to the climate crisis as well.

    We need even more pressure to convince the DNC to host a full debate on the climate crisis. Here’s how you can take action today:

     

    PAID FOR BY OIL CHANGE U.S., WWW.OILCHANGEUS.ORG, NOT AUTHORIZED BY ANY CANDIDATE, CANDIDATE’S AUTHORIZED POLITICAL COMMITTEE, OR CANDIDATE’S AGENTS.