Tag: Presidential election

  • Oil Change U.S. endorses Joe Biden and Kamala Harris

    FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

    October 7, 2020

    Contact:
    Rebecca Concepcion Apostol, rebecca [at] priceofoil.org
    David Turnbull, david [at] priceofoil.org
    Collin Rees, collin [at] priceofoil.org

    Oil Change U.S. endorses Joe Biden and Kamala Harris for President and Vice President

    Today, Oil Change U.S. is announcing its endorsement of Joe Biden and Kamala Harris for President and Vice President of the United States. Elizabeth Bast, Executive Director of Oil Change U.S., provided the following statement:

    “Last week’s debate was just the latest reflection of how desperately our country needs a change in leadership, and tonight’s vice-presidential debate should show more of the same. The path towards greater climate and racial justice is clear: it’s the one with Joe Biden and Kamala Harris in the White House. That’s why Oil Change U.S. is endorsing Joe Biden and Kamala Harris for President and Vice President of the United States.

    “While Biden showed at the first debate that he’s ready to listen and lead on climate, Donald Trump once again showed how a second term of his administration would be disastrous for everyone. His deadly politics of racism, fear, white supremacy, and climate denial was on full display at the debate. Trump further demonstrated his blatant disregard for others with his handling of the COVID-19 outbreak within the White House. No one — not a single one of us — can afford a second term of Donald Trump.

    “Since the start of this campaign, Joe Biden has been on a journey of listening, adjusting, and improvement. He’s shown that he’s willing to hear critique and adjust course. His running mate Kamala Harris has centered justice in her understanding of the climate crisis and has proposed new ideas on phasing out fossil fuel production. Donald Trump is trying desperately to claim that Biden has ‘lost the left’ in order to depress voter turnout; in reality, Joe Biden and Kamala Harris are broadening their coalition every day in response to Trump’s campaign of hate and fear.

    “Oil Change U.S. was not shy to critique Joe Biden throughout the primary campaign. We pointed out where his plans fell short, and when he took advice from the wrong advisors. But we also know he’s listening — both Biden and Harris are signatories of the No Fossil Fuel Money pledge, and even in the last week they’ve announced fossil fuel executives will have no place in their transition team. With Joe Biden and Kamala Harris in the White House, we know there will be room to shape a more just and equitable future.”

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    Oil Change U.S. is dedicated to supporting real climate leadership, exposing the true costs of fossil fuels, and building a just, equitable, and renewable energy future in the United States. Read more at http://oilchangeus.org.

  • 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 Campaign Urged to Develop Plan to Undo Trump’s Big Oil Bailout

    FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

    May 20, 2020

    CONTACT:
    Collin Rees, collin [at] priceofoil.org
    Brett Hartl, bretthartl [at] centeractionfund.org

    Biden Urged to Develop Plan to Undo Trump’s Big Oil Bailout

    Fossil Fuel Companies Could Get Billions in Pandemic Relief With No Accountability

    WASHINGTON — Twenty-one environmental, climate and social justice groups sent a letter today asking Joe Biden’s presidential campaign to create a plan for undoing the massive fossil fuel industry bailout enabled by the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act (CARES Act).

    The CARES Act provided more than $450 billion in condition-free assistance for “distressed sectors” of the economy, and the Treasury Department can allocate those funds in almost any way it sees fit. Separately, while the Paycheck Protection Program provides loans and grants to small businesses to cover payroll expenses, that program has been abused by fossil fuel companies and other large corporations.

    Today’s letter asks Vice President Biden to scrutinize every loan authorized by Secretary Mnuchin and the Federal Reserve to any fossil fuel company. The letter urges Biden to pledge to prohibit companies that abuse these funds or misstate facts in loan application from receiving any future leases on public lands and waters. Such companies should also be barred from any government contracts, loans or other forms of financial or tax-related support approved by the federal government, the letter says.

    “Joe Biden should tell Americans how he’d clean up the massive mess being created by the Trump administration’s disastrous bailout of the fossil fuel industry,” said Brett Hartl, chief political strategist at the Center for Biological Diversity Action Fund. “As we scramble to avoid a climate catastrophe, a Biden administration will have to scrutinize where every bailout dollar went and address the previous president’s handouts to corporate polluters.”

    The letter also requests that the Biden administration review the behavior of companies that receive loans, including whether they comply with all environmental safeguards during the pandemic, provided workers full sick and paid leave, provided full protective equipment to essential workers to keep them safe, and did not take punitive action against vulnerable workers or workers attempting to form unions.

    If any fossil fuel companies violated any law while relying on public funding, the letter asks the Biden administration to prosecute them to the fullest extent of the law.

    “An unchecked bailout of Big Oil would have disastrous consequences for the climate agenda of a Biden administration,” said Collin Rees, Senior Campaigner with Oil Change U.S. “VP Biden’s recent rejection of the Keystone XL pipeline was a clear display of real climate leadership and his willingness to side with people, not polluters. We look forward to working with him to confront fossil fuel bailouts and ensure COVID-19 relief is directed the frontline workers and communities most in need.”

    Click here to read the full letter.

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  • Oil Change U.S. endorses Bernie Sanders for Democratic Presidential Nomination

    FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

    March 9, 2020

    CONTACT:
    Rebecca Concepcion Apostol, rebecca@priceofoil.org
    David Turnbull, david@priceofoil.org

    Oil Change U.S. endorses Bernie Sanders for Democratic Presidential Nomination

     

    Today, Oil Change U.S. (OCUS) is announcing its endorsement of Senator Bernie Sanders for the Democratic nomination for President of the United States. In response, Rebecca Concepcion Apostol, National Program Director of Oil Change U.S. provided the following statement:

    “Thanks to years of organizing, communities raising the alarm, our youth striking, and candidates taking note, our climate crisis is center stage in 2020. We need a climate champion to face off against the fossil-fueled denial of Donald Trump. Bernie Sanders is that candidate.

    “Bernie Sanders’s Green New Deal climate plan provides the ambition needed for the U.S. to become a global leader in the climate fight.1 It includes a clear intent to phase out fossil fuel production, commits to a just transition for our workers, and ensures justice for frontline communities. We believe Bernie Sanders will stand up to the industry that is causing this climate crisis every day.

    “We at Oil Change U.S. work to kick fossil fuel money out of politics, keep fossil fuels in the ground, and build political support for real climate leaders. Bernie Sanders shares these goals. He stands head and shoulders above his remaining primary opponent when it comes to his commitment to tackling the climate crisis.

    “Oil Change US’s focus is on climate and energy policies, and our climate justice crisis sits within a broader context of fights for justice for communities across our country. On critical issues such as immigration rights, access to healthcare, access to higher education, and economic justice, Bernie Sanders presents a vision for America that we stand behind.

    “To beat Donald Trump in November, it is absolutely critical that the issues that matter to the Democratic base — particularly young people and people of color who are already feeling the impacts fossil fuel production and the climate crisis — are fought for and taken on by a Democratic nominee committed to justice for all of us. Our climate crisis cannot afford four more years of inaction or even four more years of modest action that does not meet the scale of the problem.

    “We believe, as Bernie Sanders does, that our climate crisis presents us with our single greatest opportunity to build a more just and equitable future. We need someone new to come into the White House with a vision for climate action that is up to the task, and Bernie Sanders holds that vision. Bernie Sanders has shown what true climate leadership looks like and we know he will bring us closer to the promise of justice for all.”

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    MORE INFORMATION:

  • Joe Biden, Michael Bennet become 19th and 20th signers of No Fossil Fuel Money pledge in 2020 Democratic field

    FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

    June 27, 2019

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

    Joe Biden, Michael Bennet become 19th and 20th signers of No Fossil Fuel Money pledge in 2020 Democratic field

    Today, former Vice President Joe Biden officially signed the No Fossil Fuel Money pledge, becoming the 20th of 24 major Democratic candidates for president to sign the pledge. Senator Michael Bennet also signed the pledge on Tuesday evening, becoming the 19th presidential candidate signer. In response, David Turnbull, Strategic Communications Director of Oil Change U.S., released the following statement: 

    “We congratulate Vice President Biden and Senator Bennet for signing the No Fossil Fuel Money pledge and for this example of climate leadership that prioritizes people over polluters. Rejecting the fossil fuel industry’s money has become standard practice among Democratic presidential contenders, and not a moment too soon.

    “At the first Democratic primary debates, 18 of the 20 candidates onstage have committed to reject dirty money from fossil fuel executives, lobbyists, and corporate PACs. We are already seeing candidates across the field translate that bold stance against Big Oil into policy proposals and Day One actions that are appropriate in ambition and scale to our unfolding climate emergency. Ending the fossil fuel industry’s expansion, removing its billions in taxpayer subsidies, and kickstarting a managed transition that puts workers and communities ahead of polluter profits — these are the hallmarks of real climate leadership.”

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    Notes to Editors: 

    – Former Vice President Biden is the 20th major presidential candidate to sign the No Fossil Fuel Money pledge. A confirmation of Biden signing the pledge can be found here: https://twitter.com/JoeBiden/status/1144357988523659264

    – Senator Michael Bennet was the 19th major presidential candidate to sign. A confirmation of Bennet signing the pledge can be found here: https://twitter.com/NoFossilMoney/status/1143929545516617729

    – The full list of presidential signers can be found here: http://nofossilfuelmoney.org/presidential-signers/

    – The four remaining major Democratic presidential candidates who have not signed the pledge are Governor Steve Bullock, former Rep. John Delaney, former Gov. John Hickenlooper, and former Rep. Joe Sestak.

    – The pledge is coordinated jointly by the No Fossil Fuel Money coalition, of which Oil Change U.S. is a member.

  • Oil Change U.S. Response to Julián Castro Signing the No Fossil Fuel Money Pledge

    FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

    May 23, 2019

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

    Oil Change U.S. response to Julián Castro signing the No Fossil Fuel Money Pledge

    Today, former U.S. Secretary of Housing and Urban Development and current presidential candidate Julián Castro became the latest signatory of the No Fossil Fuel Money Pledge. In response, David Turnbull, Strategic Communications Director of Oil Change U.S., one of the organizations in the No Fossil Fuel Money pledge coalition, released the following statement:

    “We enthusiastically welcome Julián Castro to the No Fossil Fuel Money pledge signers club. With his announcement today that he will reject contributions from fossil fuel industry executives along with corporate PACs and lobbyists, he joins thirteen of his counterparts – well over the majority of the Democratic field – in signing the pledge.”

    “The writing is now on the wall for the fossil fuel industry. No longer will we allow the industry destroying our climate to trample on our democracy as well. We urgently need a just and managed phase-out of fossil fuel production in the United States, and we need political leaders willing to stand up to the industry to make it happen. We’re heartened that Secretary Castro has recognized this imperative, and we look forward to hearing more on how he plans to tackle the climate crisis if elected.”

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    Notes to Editors:

    – Castro becomes the fourteenth major Democratic presidential candidate to sign the No Fossil Fuel Money pledge. See the full list of presidential signers here: http://nofossilfuelmoney.org/presidential-signers/

    – Sen. Amy Klobuchar signed the No Fossil Fuel Money pledge on Monday as the thirteenth presidential signer: https://twitter.com/amyklobuchar/status/1130433071755517953

     

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