Earlier this month, we launched this petition against fossil fuel subsidies — and today we sent out the update below to everyone who signed it. If you’re not on our email list yet, join here.
Dear friends,
In activism, just getting an issue onto the agenda is often half the battle. So it’s great news to see that the push to end subsidies to the fossil fuel industry is suddenly a central part of the political discussion here in the United States.
This morning, the US Senate voted on a bill that would repeal over $2 billion in subsidies for the top five Big Oil companies. The bill was mostly political theater and fell along party lines (four Democrats joined all but two Republicans in opposing the measure). Before the vote, President Obama spoke about subsidies at special briefing at the White House. He repeated his call to cut the billions of dollars that go to the largest oil companies each year. As you know, we strongly disagree with the President’s “all-of-the-above” energy approach, but this is a place where we can find common ground: the time to end subsidies is now.
This is a great chance for us to spread the word about the need to cut all fossil fuel subsidies (not just those to Big Oil) and remind people of the essential dynamic that’s at play: fossil fuel companies give small gifts to our politicians who then turn around and give huge gifts to the fossil fuel industry with our money. We whipped up a graph that tells this story of corruption in stark visual terms. Senators who voted for ending subsidies received $8,968,426 in campaign contributions from dirty energy companies while Senators who voted against repealing subsidies received a whopping $25,717,375.
Check it out:
Can you take a minute to share this image on Facebook, Twitter, or just by forwarding this email?
350.org is also gearing up for “Climate Impacts Day” on May 5, an effort to “connect the dots” between extreme weather and climate change. Hundreds of events are already getting registered on the website, from divers descending to bleached coral reefs in the Pacific to park rangers gathering in bark-beetle infested forests in North Dakota.
If you think it’s time to connect the dots between climate change and extreme weather, check out the new website here: www.climatedots.org
Just as we’re connecting the dots between climate and impacts, we need to be connecting the dots between these Senate votes on subsidies and the dirty energy money that’s flowing into Congress. We’ve got big plans to do just that in the coming weeks as we ramp up the battle to end fossil fuel subsidies.
We’ve got a foot in the door. Now, it’s time to shove the thing wide open.
Onwards,
Jamie Henn for the whole 350.org team
More Links and Info
Senate Fails to Cut Favors to Big Oil, Once Again | The Price of Oil go.350.org/HovTeb
Menendez Subsidies Vote – Dirty Energy Money Analysis: go.350.org/HotY9o
“Senators Who Voted To Protect Oil Tax Breaks Received $23,582,500 From Big Oil” – Think Progress: go.350.org/GZWvxm