Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and Rep. Keith Ellison (D-Minn.) will announce legislation today to end every last subsidy for oil, coal and natural gas production.
“The measure would do away with tax breaks, financial assistance, royalty relief, direct federal research and development and many loopholes that benefit the fossil fuel industry,” Sanders’ office said. “Under current law, more than $113 billion in federal subsidies would go to oil, coal and gas industries in the coming decade.”
If they try to push the move as economics-driven, the company they’re keeping at the press conference near the Capitol today tells another story: The lawmakers will be joined by Friends of the Earth, Sierra Club, Defenders of Wildlife, Earth Justice, and 350.org – “a global movement to stop the climate crisis.”
“This won’t be any normal legislative push,” said a release on 350.org’s website. “First, that’s just not how we do things here at 350.org. But more importantly, we know that if we confine this effort to Capitol Hill, the fossil fuel industry will just drown us in dollars — they could spend $100 billion fighting this thing and still come out on top. So, we’re going to have to find other currencies to work in: our creativity, energy, and grassroots organizing power. This needs to be a people’s bill through and through.”
About 100 have RSVP’d on Facebook to the Rally to End Fossil Fuel Subsidies.
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