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A project of Common Dreams

For Immediate Release
Contact:

Ellen Sciales, press@sunrisemovement.org 

Sunrise Response to DPA Funding + Gas Tax Suspension

Following the announcement that the Biden Administration's use of the Defense Production Act to boost renewable energy will be funded by Congress, Sunrise Movement Executive Director, Varshini Prakash, released the following statement:

WASHINGTON

Following the announcement that the Biden Administration's use of the Defense Production Act to boost renewable energy will be funded by Congress, Sunrise Movement Executive Director, Varshini Prakash, released the following statement:

"At a time of intensifying climate disasters, an extremist Supreme Court about to severely limit the government's ability to stop the climate crisis, and Senator Joe Manchin's continued effort to block any significant investments in renewable energy, President Biden's use of the DPA to ramp up renewables and energy efficiency - and Speaker Pelosi authorizing funding for these projects - is exactly the type of leadership we expect and need more of.

"What we don't need is for the administration to lift the gas tax, which will let fossil fuel companies off the hook for their disgusting price gouging, and probably won't even provide relief to families. If President Biden truly wants to provide relief for families, he'd direct Congress to urgently pass a Windfall Profits Tax.

"President Biden can still reach his climate goals and save our generation, but only if he continues to use his executive authority to do everything to address the climate crisis. This moment calls for nothing less than a WWII-scale mobilization to justly transition to 100% renewable energy by 2030."

Sunrise is calling on President Biden to build upon and expand his use of authority by:

  • Ending the practice of leasing public lands and waters for fossil fuel production,

  • Stopping the issue of permits for any new fossil fuel infrastructure, including pipelines, petrochemical plants, and export terminals, especially Line 3, Line 5 and the Mountain Valley Pipeline,

  • Declaring a Climate Emergency,

  • Updating and strengthening outdated standards limiting particulate matter, ozone, carbon dioxide, sulfur dioxide, mercury, coal ash, and tailpipe emissions, as well as lead and copper rules preventing contamination of drinking water,

  • Finalizing new methane standards for new and existing oil and gas operations, and by making these standards strong enough to cut methane pollution at least 65 percent below 2012 levels by 2025, and by

  • Directing the EPA to designate greenhouse pollutants as criteria air pollutants and set a science-based national pollution cap under the Clean Air Act.

Sunrise has supported the Energy Security and Independence Act of 2022, which was introduced by Congresswoman Cori Bush, Senator Bernie Sanders, and Congressman Jason Crow to strengthen America's renewable energy supply chain through the DPA and invest in programs to lower utility prices.

Sunrise Movement is a movement to stop climate change and create millions of good jobs in the process.