Oil industry fights climate provisions in Build Back Better plan

Tuesday, October 5, 2021
Source: Jacek Sniecikowski, Flickr

The oil industry is fighting hard to kill or scale back climate provisions in President Joe Biden's $3.5 trillion budget reconciliation bill, the "Build Back Better" plan.

According to a report by InfluenceMap, a think tank that tracks how business and finance impact the climate crisis, the American Petroleum Institute (API) has spent at least $423,000 on Facebook ads that have been viewed 21 million times since August 11 when the U.S. Senate passed a budget resolution. Underscoring the behind-the-scenes stakes of the fight to shape legislation aimed at addressing the climate crisis, Mike Sommers, president and CEO of API said in an interview, "We're leaving everything on the field here in terms of our opposition to anti-energy provisions. We're using every tool at our disposal to work against these proposals." 

Climate activists have hit back, accusing API of standing in the way of a once-in-a-generation effort to make progress to effectively deal with the climate crisis. Lori Lodes, executive director of Climate Power, a media operation founded by the Sierra Club and other environmental groups, said in a statement, "API knows the future will be built with clean energy and they have a serious political problem. That's why they'll do everything they can to stop climate progress and continue lining the pockets of oil industry CEOs. But their lies don't work anymore. API is losing its power in Washington and Congress will pass the Build Back Better Act and invest in a clean energy future for the next generation."

Quick hits

California lawmakers criticize offshore drilling in wake of spill, question response, while climate activists push Biden

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Quote of the day
Leaking methane and associated gasses are a larger problem on the Navajo Nation than in surrounding states, according to a recent report from the Environmental Defense Fund. The climate impact of the natural gas that’s vented, flared, or leaked into the air on the Navajo Nation alone is equivalent to adding 400,000 automobiles per year to the nation’s roads, according to the report."
—Zak Podmore, Salt Lake Tribune
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@Interior

As we leave the summer behind, it’s a good reminder that wildfire season is no longer a season, but something we battle all year long. As the climate changes, so do wildfires. Help protect your community with these helpful tips: https://doi.gov/blog/10-tips-prevent-wildfires
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