The No Fossil Fuel Money Pledge Calls on Politicians to Cut Ties With Fossil Fuel Companies
Published Aug. 9 2022, 4:43 p.m. ET
More than 3,000 politicians have signed the No Fossil Fuel Money Pledge, a campaign urging representatives to pass up donations from fossil fuel companies that amount to more than $200. U.S. Representatives Andy Kim, Cori Bush, and Mike Levin are some of the signatories. The campaign, which calls on political leaders to post proof of having taken the pledge on social media, started gaining traction in the first half of 2022.
That said, here's the No Fossil Fuel Money Pledge, explained.
No Fossil Fuel Money Pledge calls on politicians to refuse donations above $200 from fossil fuel companies.
A campaign buttressing the Green New Deal, the No Fossil Fuel Money Pledge calls on politicians located anywhere in the U.S. and serving in any role to make a pledge and agree to avoid accepting donations over $200 from individuals and companies associated with the oil, gas, and coal trade.
Applauded for its simple premise and broad outreach, the No Fossil Fuel Money Pledge has attracted the Squad, U.S. Representatives Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Ayanna Pressley, Ilhan Omar, Rashida Tlaib, Jamaal Bowman, and other high-profile politicians like U.S. Representatives Peter Welch, Pramila Jayapal, and U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren. U.S. President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris are among the signatories as well.
Fossil fuel barons like Harold Hamm, who made enormous profits with Continental Resources, an oil and natural gas company, David Rubenstein, the co-founder and co-chairman of the Carlyle Group, and the Koch brothers have long exercised considerable power in U.S. politics because of to their immense wealth and influence.
Politicians with known ties to the fossil fuel industries include U.S. Senator Joe Manchin, who has invested a considerable amount of money in firms like Enersystems, which he helped found and whose activities he has previously overseen in a presidential capacity. He is thought to have founded several coal companies in the 1980s.
Sen. Manchin successfully blocked Sarah Bloom Raskin's nomination to serve as the Vice Chair for Supervision of the Federal Reserve in a move exemplifying the impact fossil fuel companies can have on politics.
According to a 2016 article by the Guardian, U.S. politicians with links to the fossil fuel trade include Ted Cruz, who pocketed an estimated $25 million through his super PACs ahead of the 2016 elections. The article names Chris Christie, Jeb Bush, and Marco Rubio as the politicians with ties to the fossil fuel sector.
The No Fossil Fuel Money Pledge, on the other hand, encourages politicians to cut ties with the representatives of the fossil fuel industry and help create a political sector free from the influence of firms with a quantifiable impact on the Earth's natural resources. Founded in 2017, the campaign calls on politicians to refuse to accept money from a list of around 14,105 companies.
The No Fossil Fuel Money Pledge has received the endorsement of organizations like Climate Hawks Vote, 350 Action, Greenpeace, Friends of the Earth Action, and many others.
