During his Senate confirmation hearing, Pruitt claimed that he was aware of the Environmental Justice concept (kind of like Jeff Sessions saying that he's aware of the Voting Rights Act). Pruitt is gearing up to roll back the Clean Power Plan, methane gas emissions, and the Water of the United States Rule -- on the basis of aiding "industry" to build jobs. A review of Pruitt's past actions demonstrate that he considers "industry" a more important "stakeholder" than people.
It's clear who is going to end up in the crosshairs.
U.S. Forward is a slick example of the money and profit agenda at play, and in a most egregious way. Under the "Who We Are" paragraph, there is no reference to the funding or the Board of this: "non-profit organization dedicated to educating the public about the value and potential of American energy, the vast majority of which comes from fossil fuels."
I'm not sure how many people are rushing to this website. However, according to a New York Times article, U.S. Forward is sponsoring events such as concerts. At one of these gatherings, those who were present received complimentary payment for one month's utility bill. Mixed in with the program was plentiful messaging and kudos for the cheap energy that is furnished by gas and oil.
However, not everyone is willing to stand by as fossil fuel behemoths scheme to direct the agenda of our current government, exploit the underserved, and work to influence public opinion.
Earlier this year, Sarah Labowitz, who had been serving on the External Citizenship Advisory Panel for ExxonMobil, resigned. Labowitz cited her unease with how the oil giant was trying to muzzle nonprofits and individuals (Think State Attorney Generals investigating corporate investor fraud.). What were they trying to shut down? The work of those engaged in revealing ExxonMobil's role in keeping scientific research about climate change a secret. Research dated back to the end of the 1970s. Hiding the worldwide impact of the information from the public was a bombshell.
I contacted Jacqui Patterson, the Director of the Environmental and Climate Justice Program for the NAACP. Her response to the U.S. Forward initiative was succinct:
"When we know that the price we pay for fossil fuel based energy production is asthma-related hospitalizations and climate change induced disasters (displacement from sea level rise and deepening food insecurity for our neighborhoods), there is a lot missing from any equation that claims net benefits to communities of color from the use of fossil fuels.
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