New Fuels America TV Campaign begins targeting anti-RFS legislators for siding with oil lobbyists, climate deniers

November 15, 2015 |

In Washington, Fuels America is announcing a significant television campaign today calling out Rep. Peter Welch (VT-AL) for signing on to a Congressional letter that was authored by oil industry lobbyists. The first phase of the campaign includes 250 GRPs in the Burlington media market for one week.

The ad calls out Rep. Welch for protecting oil company profits and criticizes the 96 signers who are climate change deniers, urging viewers to “Remind Peter Welch to stand up for Vermont, not oil companies and climate deniers.” The 184 Members of Congress who signed on have collectively received more than $39 million from the oil and gas industry throughout their careers. Altogether the signers have an average score of 2.74 from the League of Conservation Voters; 154 have an LCV score below 10, 140 have an LCV score below 5, and 76 have an LCV score of 0.

“After years of pleading with Congressman Welch, it is time to inform Vermonters about his beltway exploits with the oil industry attacking renewable fuels,” Advanced Biofuels Business Council Executive Director Brooke Coleman responded. “Mr. Welch didn’t just join an anti-biofuel campaign underwritten by the oil industry, he led the effort to recruit others. It is time to shine a brighter light on those encouraging EPA and the President to gut the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS). It’s not a chorus, it is the oil industry, climate deniers and EPA bashers disguised as one. This letter and the millions of dollars of oil contributions flowing to its signers tell you everything you need to know about the anti-RFS crowd.”

Rep. Welch’s letter, released last week, was sent to EPA Administrator McCarthy asking the Administration to gut the Renewable Fuel Standard—America’s most successful policy on the books aimed directly at fighting climate change and reducing greenhouse gas emissions—and a policy which Administrator McCarthy has called a “vital tool” in combatting climate change.

Brent Erickson, Executive Vice President at the Biotechnology Industry Organization (BIO) also weighed in. “The oil industry has been caught red-handed in authoring the letter to EPA Administrator McCarthy and duping 180 lawmakers into putting their names on it. It is very disturbing to see the lengths the oil refining industry will go to distort the record and protect their profits and fuel monopoly.”

Category: Policy

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