FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 15, 2019
CONTACT:
David Turnbull, david [at] priceofoil.org
Collin Rees, collin [at] priceofoil.org
Oil Change U.S. response to Elizabeth Warren policy commitment to ban new fossil fuel leases on public lands on Day One
Today, presidential contender Sen. Elizabeth Warren released a policy position on public lands, committing to enact a moratorium on all new fossil fuel leases on the first day of her presidency. In response, David Turnbull, Strategic Communications Director at Oil Change U.S., issued the following statement:
“Ending fossil fuel extraction on public lands is both necessary and obvious. Our public lands should be used for public good, not for oil industry profits at the expense of our climate and communities. Senator Warren’s plan announced today to end new leasing for fossil fuel extraction on public lands on Day One in office and to restore critical protections for monuments and sacred sites is the type of real climate leadership we need to see from candidates seeking office at all levels. It’s also the type of bold action candidates are free to propose when they rip off the shackles of the fossil fuel industry by rejecting its money and influence on their campaigns.
“This type of plan to take on the fossil fuel industry and its dirty ways by keeping carbon in the ground is precisely what we need Democratic candidates to be discussing from the stump and the debate stage. That’s why we’re joining with allies across the progressive movement to call on the Democratic Party to hold a debate centered on the climate crisis. We look forward to other candidates for president laying out their plans to eliminate dirty fossil fuel projects in our pristine public lands, and for the Democratic Party to give this critical issue the time and depth of discussion it deserves.”
###
Notes to Editors:
– Sen. Warren’s full policy paper can be found here: https://medium.com/@teamwarren/my-plan-for-public-lands-e4be1d88a01c
– Research by Oil Change International has found that without government action to limit fossil fuel production, including on public lands, the U.S. is poised for a massive expansion of drilling and carbon pollution: http://priceofoil.org/2019/01/16/report-drilling-towards-disaster/
PAID FOR BY OIL CHANGE U.S., WWW.OILCHANGEUS.ORG, NOT AUTHORIZED BY ANY CANDIDATE, CANDIDATE’S AUTHORIZED POLITICAL COMMITTEE, OR CANDIDATE’S AGENTS.