Tell Congress: Stop putting Big Oil before people!

Tell Congress to get their priorities straight and stop putting Big Oil before people!

Oil executives are at it again -- demanding handouts that will let them profit from the pandemic. And unfortunately, Congress is listening. A bipartisan group just introduced a bill that would spend $3 billion on buying oil we don’t need for the nation’s Strategic Petroleum Reserve.

Right now, communities are facing desperate shortages of protective gear, testing kits, ventilators, and more. Congress should be providing funds for those necessities, not stocking up on dirty fuels. By wasting money on stockpiling oil, they’ll be depriving communities of funds that could support long-term recovery.

Tell Congress to get their priorities straight and stop putting polluters before people by signing the following Sierra Club petition found on the link below. Consider leaving a  personal comment for more impact.

https://act.sierraclub.org/actions/National?actionId=AR0259567&id=7013q0000028b9UAAQ

The petition reads:

 As we all pull together to protect ourselves and the most vulnerable among us from the coronavirus pandemic, I am concerned about recent legislation proposed to bailout the oil industry. This legislation, introduced by Senator John Hoeven and Representatives Lizzie Fletcher and Michael Burgess, would appropriate $3 billion for the Strategic Petroleum Reserve. Whether in the form of low-interest loans, purchases into the Strategic Petroleum Reserve, royalty relief, or new tax subsidies, I am opposed to any giveaways to corporate polluters. The fossil fuel industry is already heavily subsidized by the federal government. In 2017, researchers showed that about half of the profits enjoyed by the oil and gas industry were derived from tax and royalty subsidies. With over 16 million people out of work, now isn’t the time to be giving handouts to fossil fuel billionaires. Instead of propping up fossil fuel corporations, the economic stimulus package should focus on protections for frontline workers, communities, and the most vulnerable among us. I urge you to oppose this legislation and ensure that it is not included in any economic stimulus package. Together, we can ensure that we have a just and sustainable recovery to COVID-19 -- a recovery that helps strengthen our communities and protect our climate.

Tell media: Stop accepting fossil fuel advertisements

Petition to major media outlets: "Stop accepting advertisements in any form from fossil fuel companies and their allies." Add your name: Swedish newspaper Dagens ETC used to get almost 20% of its income from fossil fuel advertising. Then the newspaper chose to give it all up for the good of the planet.1 While Dagens ETC is choosing planet over profit, major American media outlets are making the opposite choice — far too many are sponsored by Big Oil and regularly run deceptive advertisements that appear to be news stories or independent op-eds. It's no surprise that these outlets rarely cover climate change news or actively promote dangerous climate deniers.2 When news programs fail to inform Americans about the existential threat of climate change, building the political will for bold action is nearly impossible. We need major media outlets to follow Dagens ETC's lead and reject fossil-fuel advertising, starting now. Tell major media outlets: Stop accepting fossil fuel advertisements. Click here to sign the petition. It's not just FOX News – almost every major media outlet helps Big Oil spread its propaganda. Chevron, BP and Koch Industries have sponsored POLITICO and Axios, two agenda-setting political outlets widely read on Capitol Hill. Many news companies, including POLITICO, The New York Times and The Washington Post, run "native ads" from fossil-fuel companies that look misleadingly similar to regular newspaper stories or editorial pieces. Viewers who tuned into the Democratic primary debates on cable and network TV saw countless fossil-fuel ads but rarely heard the candidates asked about climate change.3,4 Thanks to this terrible coverage, almost 90% of Americans don’t know that there is a scientific consensus on global warming.5 TV coverage of climate change plunged in 2018 from already-low levels in 2017, according to research by Media Matters. And a slight increase in coverage in 2019 is mostly because of rabid FOX News fear-mongering about the Green New Deal.6 Big Oil's public relations henchmen have bragged in the past about using paid advertising to influence coverage, and fossil-fuel companies' continued willingness to pour money into ads suggests it works.7 Young activists with the group Extinction Rebellion USA recently protested outside the New York Times and demanded that media companies stop accepting fossil-fuel advertising. As one of the strikers wrote, "We will never get the action we need to save our planet when most people still don’t know there is a crisis to begin with."8 It's long past time to ramp up the pressure on the media industry to stop putting fossil fuel profits ahead of the planet we all live on. Tell major media outlets: Stop accepting fossil fuel advertisements. Click below to sign the petition: https://act.credoaction.com/sign/media-fossil-fuel-advertising?t=9&akid=34592%2E3130208%2EfF52yd - Heidi Hess, CREDO Action Add your name: References: Sandra Laville, "Swedish newspaper stops taking adverts from fossil fuel firms," The Guardian, Sept. 26, 2019. Amy Westervelt, "Why Are ‘The New York Times’ and ‘The Washington Post’ Producing Ads for Big Oil?" The Nation, April 22, 2019. Ibid. Alexandria Villaseñor, "Why I’m Climate Striking Against Fox News on Friday," The Nation, June 26, 2019. Ruairí Arrieta-Kenna, "Almost 90% of Americans don’t know there’s scientific consensus on global warming," Vox, July 6, 2017. Lisa Hymas, "Climate silence was the big problem in 2018. In 2019, we've got new challenges." Media Matters, April 3, 2019. Westervelt, "Why Are ‘The New York Times’ and ‘The Washington Post’ Producing Ads for Big Oil?" Villaseñor, "Why I’m Climate Striking Against Fox News on Friday." More Information  Oil Companies Are Trying to Rebrand Themselves on Social Media - On Earth

Federal Trade Commission: Stop the Big Pharma mega-merger

Petition to the Federal Trade Commission: "The FTC must investigate and block the attempt by Bristol-Myers Squibb to buy out Celgene. This would be the largest pharmaceutical merger ever, and as with past mergers, the result will be less innovation and much higher prescription drug costs for the public. This mega-merger will block the development and sale of affordable drugs and reduce competition precisely at the moment we need more of it. We urge you to stop this mega-merger." Add your name:

Now, two companies that produce life-saving cancer medicines are poised to become one in the biggest Big Pharma merger ever.1  Big Pharma tripled the price of insulin, made Epi-Pens completely unaffordable and jacked up the price of arthritis medications. The Bristol-Myers Squibb bid to buy Celgene would be a disaster for cancer patients and everyone else – and the Federal Trade Commission has the power to stop it. Tell the Federal Trade Commission: Stop the Big Pharma mega-merger. Click here to sign the petition. Bristol-Meyers Squibb shareholders recently approved a $74 billion deal to take over rival pharmaceutical company Celgene. If approved by regulators like the FTC, the merger would combine two of the world's biggest cancer drug businesses in the biggest Big Pharma deal in history.2 Every time Big Pharma gets bigger, the rest of us suffer. Fewer companies means less competition and higher prices. Big Pharma grows more profitable, but companies rarely invest in more innovation. One recent study found that taxpayer funding helped develop every single one of the 210 new FDA-approved medicines between 2010 and 2016. We are investing in new cures while Big Pharma spends more on advertising than research and development and ridiculously claims that companies need obscene profits from merged companies to fund new cures.3 Big Pharma monopolies do have one advantage: Spending more on lobbyists. Big Pharma companies use their clout and financial power to fund superPACs, lobby against reforms that would lower the price of pharmaceutical drugs and campaign against Medicare for All. This history-making disaster won't become a reality unless the FTC approves the merger. There is still time to convince commissioners to oppose it and to force the issue into the political conversation, but we cannot wait to raise our voices. Tell the Federal Trade Commission: Stop the Big Pharma mega-merger. Click below to sign the petition: https://act.credoaction.com/sign/bristol-myers-celgene-pharma-merger?t=9&akid=32600%2E3130208%2ET9vom6 - Josh Nelson, CREDO Action Add your name: References: Jared S. Hopkins, "Bristol-Myers Shareholders Approve $74 Billion Deal For Celgene," The Wall Street Journal, April 12, 2019. Ibid. Zach Carter, "Bernie Sanders And Ro Khanna Have A New Plan To Tackle Prescription Drug Rip-Offs," HuffPost, Nov. 19, 2018. More Information: Bristol-Myers Squibb Shareholders Approve Celgene Acquisition - Bristol-Myers Squibb press release

Submit a public comment against offshore oil drilling right now

Deepwater Horizon disaster

From Florida to California, the Gulf of Mexico to Alaska, the Trump administration wants to drill for oil off of almost every single coastline in America

The Trump Administration wants to drill for oil off the coast Northern California. And that's not all.  Just hours ago ago the Department of Interior released its draft five year plan for offshore oil and gas leasing that seeks to expand drilling in Atlantic, Pacific, Gulf of Mexico, and Arctic waters — and auction off permanently protected areas.

We need to fight this tooth and nail at every level of government, starting by flooding the Interior Department with public comments.

Speak out against offshore oil drilling by submitting a public comment against the 5 year plan right now!

The Trump administration is willfully ignoring the lessons from the Deepwater Horizon disaster by moving to undo basic offshore drilling safety measures while handing over our oceans to the fossil fuel industry.

If the Interior Department’s five-year oil and gas leasing plan moves forward, corporations will have access to drill off nearly every coast in the United States. This puts coastal communities and economies, marine wildlife, public health, and the climate at an unimaginable risk. We need a massive public outcry to stop new drilling. Will you add your voice?

Coastal governors and other politicians from both parties, Native tribes, businesses, and communities like yours are already gearing up against the plan. We can stop the administration's most reckless plans to line the pockets of oil companies if we start building momentum from day one. 

Submit a public comment opposing offshore oil drilling right now!

- Mary Sweeters
Climate and Energy Campainger, Greenpeace USA

STOP ONE OF THE WORST PIECES OF DIRTY-ENERGY LEGISLATION TO COME BEFORE CONGRESS

Congressional representatives who collectively take millions of dollars from industrial polluters want nothing to stand in the way of their donors’ attempts to suck every bit of oil and gas from America’s oceans and lands.

Their latest assault on our public lands and waters is the SECURE American Energy Act, which reads like Big Oil’s ultimate wish list. This bill begs for oil and gas development onshore and offshore while gutting laws aimed at protecting our environment and wildlife. Americans are ready and willing to stand up to protect our lands, waters and wildlife, but provisions of this bill would ensure that the public is unable to participate in decisions about how our natural heritage and resources are managed.

The House of Representatives is about to vote on this bill. Contact your representative today and tell them to oppose the SECURE Act!

The SECURE American Energy Act is one of the worst pieces of dirty-energy legislation to come before Congress. It would:

*Make it easier for oil and gas companies to kill and injure hundreds of thousands of marine mammals through seismic blasting and drilling
*Strip presidents of their authority to remove offshore areas from oil and gas development
*Take away presidential power to establish marine national monuments
*Prioritize fracking on public land over public uses such as recreation

The reality is that the oil and gas industry already owns the leases to millions of acres of public lands and waters, as well as thousands of drilling permits that they’re not using. In fact, more fossil fuels have already been sold than can be extracted and burned, if we’re to avoid dangerous levels of global warming.

Earthjustice is fighting to protect our oceans and coastal communities from dangerous extractive interests. Our lawyers are representing a coalition of Alaska Native and conservation groups fighting Trump’s reversal of the ban on new drilling in most of the Arctic Ocean and key portions of the Atlantic. If the SECURE American Energy Act is passed, we’ll keep fighting back in court.

But with your help, we can stop this dirty, dangerous bill here. Contact your representative TODAY and tell them to oppose the SECURE American Energy Act!

Your personalized message will be added along with the following letter:

I urge you to oppose the SECURE American Energy Act and protect our oceans and public lands

Dear Representative,

I am writing to express my strong opposition to the "Strengthening the Economy with Critical Untapped Resources to Expand American Energy Act," or SECURE American Energy Act. This bill would transfer management authority for the permitting of federal oil and gas resources to states, encourage offshore oil drilling while limiting commonplace safeguards, and gravely weaken protections for marine mammals and migratory birds.

The portion of this bill titled "Opportunities for the Nation and States to Harness Onshore Resources for Energy Act" (ONSHORE) essentially hands control of America's federal lands over to a handful of primarily western states and private interests. The other portion, titled "Accessing Strategic Resources Offshore" (ASTRO) takes an extreme approach to managing our offshore resources by eliminating and modifying commonsense management tools, putting coastal communities, economies, marine life and oceans at risk.

This legislation will place our valued public lands, waters, oceans and coastlines at significant risk, and curtail public involvement in their responsible management for present and future generations. Thank you for considering my concerns. I strongly urge you to oppose this bill.

NOTE FROM DESKTOP ACTIVIST

I've heard that snail mail has more impact. But a letter takes more time because it has to go through security. So you might try a post card TODAY.

Please, vote no on the SECURE American Energy Act. It encourages offshore oil drilling while limiting commonplace safeguards. It weakens protections for marine mammals and migratory birds. 

Snail mail postcards or deliver to her office: 

Rep. Martha McSally

4400 E Broadway Blvd, Tucson, AZ 85711

Here's her number: Phone: (520) 881-3588

I actually got a hold of someone there yesterday and again today. In fact, Kyle took good notes to be sure she got it right!

Trump Just Reopened Our Coasts to Big Oil — Help Fight Back

BIG NEWS: NRDC and its partners are suing the Trump administration to block the president's reckless executive order attempting to reopen our Arctic and Atlantic coasts to dangerous oil and gas drilling. Simply put, Trump doesn't have the authority to reverse President Obama's landmark ban that put those critical waters permanently off-limits to Big Oil.

But as NRDC battles in court, we must mobilize a groundswell of public pressure on Congress to keep our coastal waters protected. It's time to show Trump and his fossil fuel allies that this is only the beginning of a fierce fight.

Tell Senators Jeff Flake and John McCain, and Representative Martha McSally, to support legislation protecting our coasts and oceans from dangerous oil and gas drilling!

Trump's order attempts to reverse President Obama's groundbreaking decision last year that rightly banned oil and gas drilling in almost all of America's Arctic Ocean and Atlantic coast, putting them off limits to Big Oil.

Drilling off our coasts harms our oceans, marine wildlife and coastal communities with leaks and catastrophic oil spills — like the Deepwater Horizon tragedy, which dumped more than 130 million gallons of toxic crude oil into the Gulf of Mexico seven years ago.

The federal government itself estimates a 75% chance of a major oil spill in the Arctic's Chukchi Sea if drilling proceeds there.

More drilling will also set us back in our fight against climate change, shackling us to the heavily polluting fossil fuels of the last century, driving more carbon pollution and slowing America's transition to clean energy.

The NRDC Action Fund is putting our full force behind supporting critical legislation to stop Trump's handout to Big Oil. The Stop Arctic Ocean Drilling Act (H.R. 1784) has been introduced in the House, and we expect other legislation ending offshore drilling soon in both the House and Senate.

Tell your senators and representative TODAY: Stop President Trump's assault on our coasts by supporting critical bills we need to ban drilling in the Arctic, the Atlantic and all other American ocean waters for good.

- Rhea Suh, President, NRDC Action Fund