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'Despite its benign-sounding name, the bill would be a catastrophe, effectively locking the US into fossil-fuel dependency for decades.' (Photo: Pixabay/CC0)
The Senate's Dirty Energy Bill Must Not See the Light of Day
'Despite its benign-sounding name, the bill would be a catastrophe, effectively locking the US into fossil-fuel dependency for decades.'
Jul 21, 2017
In the wake of Senate Republicans' ever-deepening debacle over their flailing attempts to strip health insurance from 22 million people, Majority Leader Mitch McConnell is desperate to do something - anything - to show that he can get legislation passed. To this end, he's bypassing the standard committee review process to push a complex 850+ page energy bill straight to the full Senate floor. Perhaps not surprisingly, this legislation, the Energy and Natural Resources Act of 2017, would be a disaster for public health and our climate.
Despite its benign-sounding name, the bill would be a catastrophe, effectively locking the US into fossil-fuel dependency for decades. This dirty energy legislation would allocate millions of dollars for the discovery and extraction of fossil fuels off US coastal waters, speed up the review period required for fracked gas terminals, and instruct the Bureau of Land Management to create a program to expedite drilling and fracking permits. These are shameful giveaways to the oil and gas industry--directly in line with Trump's pro-fossil fuel agenda.
Even worse, the bill gives no mention of clean wind and solar power - precisely at a moment in our history when we need to transition to 100 percent renewable energy now. The science is clear: If we're going to have a chance of avoiding the worst of climate catastrophes and public health crises in coming years, we need to get off fossil fuels immediately.
Thankfully, the Trump/McConnell dirty energy bill could be shelved indefinitely. After all, the Republicans are looking for an easy win, and any significant opposition from Democrats to this bill would deter them from proceeding. But as of this publication, not a single Senate Democrat has come out against the legislation!
We know who Trump and McConnell are really looking out for: their deep-pocketed Big Oil and Gas donors. But we have a chance to stop this bill and move immediately on the path to the Clean Energy Revolution. We must each tell our senators to stand up to this dangerous bill, and publically oppose it. Our health and the future of our planet depend on it.
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This country and this world are at a monumental crossroads. US voters have an opportunity to beat back the forces of fascism and confront the billionaires who are rigging the economy, our media system, and our democracy, making it increasingly impossible for ordinary people to get by. We’re not just talking about the election. We’re talking about what must be done once these fascist elements are vanquished from power. We need a bolder set of solutions than what either major party has so far been willing to offer and a working-class movement ready to fight like hell for it. Trump didn't emerge from nowhere. The conditions that fueled MAGA authoritarianism were created by decades of radical neoliberal economic policies and a corrupt political system dominated by corporate interests. They slashed taxes on the super-rich, promising that the benefits would trickle down. They said giveaways to the corporate titans would make life more affordable for the rest of us. It was all bullshit. And when a bitter, betrayed populace searches for someone to blame, right-wing demagogues have little trouble finding scapegoats. People know when they're being lied to, but you won't hear any of this from the corporate media. Only independent journalism—powered and funded by people who believe in building a better world—can deliver truly trustworthy daily news. If you share our vision, please contribute whatever you can to sustain our work. |
© 2021 Food & Water Watch
Seth Gladstone
Seth Gladstone is the Deputy Communications Director at Food & Water Watch. He is based in Brooklyn, NY. Seth's career in political and nonprofit communications and organizing spans almost two decades.
Christian Detisch
Christian Detisch is the Digital Content Coordinator for Food & Water Watch. Previously to his time with FWW, he worked as an AmeriCorps VISTA in northwestern Pennsylvania running a computer literacy program and summer lunch program for children living in public housing. He also served as an associate editor for the online literary journal Blackbird while receiving an MFA in creative writing at Virginia Commonwealth University.
In the wake of Senate Republicans' ever-deepening debacle over their flailing attempts to strip health insurance from 22 million people, Majority Leader Mitch McConnell is desperate to do something - anything - to show that he can get legislation passed. To this end, he's bypassing the standard committee review process to push a complex 850+ page energy bill straight to the full Senate floor. Perhaps not surprisingly, this legislation, the Energy and Natural Resources Act of 2017, would be a disaster for public health and our climate.
Despite its benign-sounding name, the bill would be a catastrophe, effectively locking the US into fossil-fuel dependency for decades. This dirty energy legislation would allocate millions of dollars for the discovery and extraction of fossil fuels off US coastal waters, speed up the review period required for fracked gas terminals, and instruct the Bureau of Land Management to create a program to expedite drilling and fracking permits. These are shameful giveaways to the oil and gas industry--directly in line with Trump's pro-fossil fuel agenda.
Even worse, the bill gives no mention of clean wind and solar power - precisely at a moment in our history when we need to transition to 100 percent renewable energy now. The science is clear: If we're going to have a chance of avoiding the worst of climate catastrophes and public health crises in coming years, we need to get off fossil fuels immediately.
Thankfully, the Trump/McConnell dirty energy bill could be shelved indefinitely. After all, the Republicans are looking for an easy win, and any significant opposition from Democrats to this bill would deter them from proceeding. But as of this publication, not a single Senate Democrat has come out against the legislation!
We know who Trump and McConnell are really looking out for: their deep-pocketed Big Oil and Gas donors. But we have a chance to stop this bill and move immediately on the path to the Clean Energy Revolution. We must each tell our senators to stand up to this dangerous bill, and publically oppose it. Our health and the future of our planet depend on it.
Seth Gladstone
Seth Gladstone is the Deputy Communications Director at Food & Water Watch. He is based in Brooklyn, NY. Seth's career in political and nonprofit communications and organizing spans almost two decades.
Christian Detisch
Christian Detisch is the Digital Content Coordinator for Food & Water Watch. Previously to his time with FWW, he worked as an AmeriCorps VISTA in northwestern Pennsylvania running a computer literacy program and summer lunch program for children living in public housing. He also served as an associate editor for the online literary journal Blackbird while receiving an MFA in creative writing at Virginia Commonwealth University.
In the wake of Senate Republicans' ever-deepening debacle over their flailing attempts to strip health insurance from 22 million people, Majority Leader Mitch McConnell is desperate to do something - anything - to show that he can get legislation passed. To this end, he's bypassing the standard committee review process to push a complex 850+ page energy bill straight to the full Senate floor. Perhaps not surprisingly, this legislation, the Energy and Natural Resources Act of 2017, would be a disaster for public health and our climate.
Despite its benign-sounding name, the bill would be a catastrophe, effectively locking the US into fossil-fuel dependency for decades. This dirty energy legislation would allocate millions of dollars for the discovery and extraction of fossil fuels off US coastal waters, speed up the review period required for fracked gas terminals, and instruct the Bureau of Land Management to create a program to expedite drilling and fracking permits. These are shameful giveaways to the oil and gas industry--directly in line with Trump's pro-fossil fuel agenda.
Even worse, the bill gives no mention of clean wind and solar power - precisely at a moment in our history when we need to transition to 100 percent renewable energy now. The science is clear: If we're going to have a chance of avoiding the worst of climate catastrophes and public health crises in coming years, we need to get off fossil fuels immediately.
Thankfully, the Trump/McConnell dirty energy bill could be shelved indefinitely. After all, the Republicans are looking for an easy win, and any significant opposition from Democrats to this bill would deter them from proceeding. But as of this publication, not a single Senate Democrat has come out against the legislation!
We know who Trump and McConnell are really looking out for: their deep-pocketed Big Oil and Gas donors. But we have a chance to stop this bill and move immediately on the path to the Clean Energy Revolution. We must each tell our senators to stand up to this dangerous bill, and publically oppose it. Our health and the future of our planet depend on it.
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