FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 23, 2019
Contact:
David Turnbull, david [at] priceofoil [dot] org
Collin Rees, collin [at] priceofoil [dot] org
Oil Change U.S. Response: Trump’s Speech at Fracking Conference Was a Dumpster Fire
Today, President Donald Trump spoke to a fracking industry conference in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. In response to the president’s speech, David Turnbull, Strategic Communications Director at Oil Change U.S., released the following statement:
“From the hearty handshakes between the president and fossil fuel industry executives, to the toxic masculinity exuding from the president as he heckled protesters, to Trump’s rambling description of catastrophic deregulation at the expense of our climate and communities, this speech was a classic Trump dumpster fire.
“While Trump’s descriptions of his administration’s actions were largely overblown or inaccurate, the reality is Trump’s oil-soaked administration has paved the way for the U.S. oil and gas industry to run roughshod on communities at the frontlines and to drill and frack our climate to the brink.
“Our next president must do precisely the opposite. We need a president who will not shake hands with industry executives, but will instead take them to court for their crimes. We need a president who gets serious about a just transition away from fossil fuel production, not one attempting to bring back the past and resurrect a dirty industry.
“Thankfully, what we’re seeing from Democratic presidential candidates is a newfound willingness to directly confront the fossil fuel industry. All of the top candidates have signed the No Fossil Fuel Money pledge, most agree we must end new fossil fuel production on federal lands, and many want to stop fracking entirely. This is the kind of leadership our country needs. What was on display in Pittsburgh today was a disaster in every sense of the word.”
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