Jonathon Berman, jonathon.berman@sierraclub.org
Washington, DC -- Today, Sierra Club President Ramón Cruz and Vice President Ross Macfarlane sent Democratic National Committee (DNC) Chair Tom Perez a letter demanding language calling for an end to tax breaks and subsidies for the fossil fuel industry be immediately reinstated in the Party’s platform.
Earlier this week, it was revealed that the DNC quietly removed language from its platform that eliminated subsidies for fossil fuel companies. This change drastically diverges from the DNC’s 2016 platform which contained an explicit plank on the need to eliminate fossil fuel subsidies and the policy proposals from Democratic presidential nominee former Vice President Joe Biden and his running mate, Senator Kamala Harris (D-CA). Following the news breaking, the Biden campaign doubled down on their commitment to end fossil fuel subsidies.
The Sierra Club has publicly condemned the DNC’s actions and will continue to encourage its members and supporters to demand the language be reinstated.
In response, Sierra Club President Ramón Cruz released the following statement:
“For far too long, corporate polluters have been subsidized by taxpayers to pollute communities across the country -- particularly Black and Brown communities -- endangering our health and clean air and water. Permanently ending these subsidies, as Vice President Joe Biden and Senator Kamala Harris have committed to do, is an essential step in tackling the climate crisis, and the DNC’s attempt to run away from this action is inexcusable.
“Vice President Biden and Senator Harris are running on the boldest climate policy platform ever, and it’s why the Sierra Club is proud to have endorsed them. It’s time that the DNC follows their leadership and crafts a platform that reflects their policy proposals.”
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Paid for by Sierra Club Independent Action, www.sierraclubindependentaction.org, and not authorized by any candidate or candidate's committee. |
About the Sierra Club
The Sierra Club is America’s largest and most influential grassroots environmental organization, with more than 3.5 million members and supporters. In addition to protecting every person's right to get outdoors and access the healing power of nature, the Sierra Club works to promote clean energy, safeguard the health of our communities, protect wildlife, and preserve our remaining wild places through grassroots activism, public education, lobbying, and legal action. For more information, visit www.sierraclub.org.