In activism, just getting an issue onto the agenda is often half the battle. So it’s great news to see that the push to end subsidies to the fossil fuel industry is suddenly a central part of the political discussion here in the United States.
This morning, the US Senate voted on a bill that would repeal over $2 billion in subsidies for the top five Big Oil companies. The bill was mostly political theater and fell along party lines (four Democrats joined all but two Republicans in opposing the measure). Before the vote, President Obama spoke about subsidies at special briefing at the White House. He repeated his call to cut the billions of dollars that go to the largest oil companies each year. As you know, we strongly disagree with the President’s “all-of-the-above” energy approach, but this is a place where we can find common ground: the time to end subsidies is now.
This is a great chance for us to spread the word about the need to cut all fossil fuel subsidies (not just those to Big Oil) and remind people of the essential dynamic that’s at play: fossil fuel companies give small gifts to our politicians who then turn around and give huge gifts to the fossil fuel industry with our money. We whipped up a graph that tells this story of corruption in stark visual terms. Senators who voted for ending subsidies received $8,968,426 in campaign contributions from dirty energy companies while Senators who voted against repealing subsidies received a whopping $25,717,375.
Check it out:
Can you take a minute to share this image on Facebook, Twitter, or just by forwarding this email?
350.org is also gearing up for “Climate Impacts Day” on May 5, an effort to “connect the dots” between extreme weather and climate change. Hundreds of events are already getting registered on the website, from divers descending to bleached coral reefs in the Pacific to park rangers gathering in bark-beetle infested forests in North Dakota.
If you think it’s time to connect the dots between climate change and extreme weather, check out the new website here: www.climatedots.org
Just as we’re connecting the dots between climate and impacts, we need to be connecting the dots between these Senate votes on subsidies and the dirty energy money that’s flowing into Congress. We've got big plans to do just that in the coming weeks as we ramp up the battle to end fossil fuel subsidies.
We’ve got a foot in the door. Now, it’s time to shove the thing wide open.
Onwards,
Jamie Henn for the whole 350.org team
More Links and Info
Senate Fails to Cut Favors to Big Oil, Once Again | The Price of Oil go.350.org/HovTeb
Menendez Subsidies Vote - Dirty Energy Money Analysis: go.350.org/HotY9o
"Senators Who Voted To Protect Oil Tax Breaks Received $23,582,500 From Big Oil" - Think Progress: go.350.org/GZWvxm
U.S. Senate Roll Call Votes 112th Congress - 2nd Session
as compiled through Senate LIS by the Senate Bill Clerk under the direction of the Secretary of the Senate
Vote Summary| Question: On the Cloture Motion (Motion to Invoke Cloture on S.2204 ) | |||
| Vote Number: | 63 | Vote Date: | March 29, 2012, 11:16 AM |
| Required For Majority: | 3/5 | Vote Result: | Cloture Motion Rejected |
| Measure Number: | S. 2204 (Repeal Big Oil Tax Subsidies Act ) | ||
| Measure Title: | A bill to eliminate unnecessary tax subsidies and promote renewable energy and energy conservation. | ||
| Vote Counts: | YEAs | 51 |
| NAYs | 47 | |
| Not Voting | 2 |
| Vote Summary | By Senator Name | By Vote Position | By Home State |
Alphabetical by Senator Name| Akaka (D-HI), Yea
Alexander (R-TN), Nay Ayotte (R-NH), Nay Barrasso (R-WY), Nay Baucus (D-MT), Yea Begich (D-AK), Nay Bennet (D-CO), Yea Bingaman (D-NM), Yea Blumenthal (D-CT), Yea Blunt (R-MO), Nay Boozman (R-AR), Nay Boxer (D-CA), Yea Brown (D-OH), Yea Brown (R-MA), Nay Burr (R-NC), Nay Cantwell (D-WA), Yea Cardin (D-MD), Yea Carper (D-DE), Yea Casey (D-PA), Yea Chambliss (R-GA), Nay Coats (R-IN), Nay Coburn (R-OK), Nay Cochran (R-MS), Nay Collins (R-ME), Yea Conrad (D-ND), Yea Coons (D-DE), Yea Corker (R-TN), Nay Cornyn (R-TX), Nay Crapo (R-ID), Nay DeMint (R-SC), Nay Durbin (D-IL), Yea Enzi (R-WY), Nay Feinstein (D-CA), Yea Franken (D-MN), Yea | Gillibrand (D-NY), Yea
Graham (R-SC), Nay Grassley (R-IA), Nay Hagan (D-NC), Yea Harkin (D-IA), Yea Hatch (R-UT), Not Voting Heller (R-NV), Nay Hoeven (R-ND), Nay Hutchison (R-TX), Nay Inhofe (R-OK), Nay Inouye (D-HI), Yea Isakson (R-GA), Nay Johanns (R-NE), Nay Johnson (D-SD), Yea Johnson (R-WI), Nay Kerry (D-MA), Yea Kirk (R-IL), Not Voting Klobuchar (D-MN), Yea Kohl (D-WI), Yea Kyl (R-AZ), Nay Landrieu (D-LA), Nay Lautenberg (D-NJ), Yea Leahy (D-VT), Yea Lee (R-UT), Nay Levin (D-MI), Yea Lieberman (ID-CT), Yea Lugar (R-IN), Nay Manchin (D-WV), Yea McCain (R-AZ), Nay McCaskill (D-MO), Yea McConnell (R-KY), Nay Menendez (D-NJ), Yea Merkley (D-OR), Yea Mikulski (D-MD), Yea | Moran (R-KS), Nay
Murkowski (R-AK), Nay Murray (D-WA), Yea Nelson (D-FL), Yea Nelson (D-NE), Nay Paul (R-KY), Nay Portman (R-OH), Nay Pryor (D-AR), Yea Reed (D-RI), Yea Reid (D-NV), Yea Risch (R-ID), Nay Roberts (R-KS), Nay Rockefeller (D-WV), Yea Rubio (R-FL), Nay Sanders (I-VT), Yea Schumer (D-NY), Yea Sessions (R-AL), Nay Shaheen (D-NH), Yea Shelby (R-AL), Nay Snowe (R-ME), Yea Stabenow (D-MI), Yea Tester (D-MT), Yea Thune (R-SD), Nay Toomey (R-PA), Nay Udall (D-CO), Yea Udall (D-NM), Yea Vitter (R-LA), Nay Warner (D-VA), Yea Webb (D-VA), Nay Whitehouse (D-RI), Yea Wicker (R-MS), Nay Wyden (D-OR), Yea |
| Vote Summary | By Senator Name | By Vote Position | By Home State |
Grouped By Vote Position| YEAs ---51 | ||
| Akaka (D-HI) Baucus (D-MT) Bennet (D-CO) Bingaman (D-NM) Blumenthal (D-CT) Boxer (D-CA) Brown (D-OH) Cantwell (D-WA) Cardin (D-MD) Carper (D-DE) Casey (D-PA) Collins (R-ME) Conrad (D-ND) Coons (D-DE) Durbin (D-IL) Feinstein (D-CA) Franken (D-MN) | Gillibrand (D-NY) Hagan (D-NC) Harkin (D-IA) Inouye (D-HI) Johnson (D-SD) Kerry (D-MA) Klobuchar (D-MN) Kohl (D-WI) Lautenberg (D-NJ) Leahy (D-VT) Levin (D-MI) Lieberman (ID-CT) Manchin (D-WV) McCaskill (D-MO) Menendez (D-NJ) Merkley (D-OR) Mikulski (D-MD) | Murray (D-WA) Nelson (D-FL) Pryor (D-AR) Reed (D-RI) Reid (D-NV) Rockefeller (D-WV) Sanders (I-VT) Schumer (D-NY) Shaheen (D-NH) Snowe (R-ME) Stabenow (D-MI) Tester (D-MT) Udall (D-CO) Udall (D-NM) Warner (D-VA) Whitehouse (D-RI) Wyden (D-OR) |
| NAYs ---47 | ||
| Alexander (R-TN) Ayotte (R-NH) Barrasso (R-WY) Begich (D-AK) Blunt (R-MO) Boozman (R-AR) Brown (R-MA) Burr (R-NC) Chambliss (R-GA) Coats (R-IN) Coburn (R-OK) Cochran (R-MS) Corker (R-TN) Cornyn (R-TX) Crapo (R-ID) DeMint (R-SC) | Enzi (R-WY) Graham (R-SC) Grassley (R-IA) Heller (R-NV) Hoeven (R-ND) Hutchison (R-TX) Inhofe (R-OK) Isakson (R-GA) Johanns (R-NE) Johnson (R-WI) Kyl (R-AZ) Landrieu (D-LA) Lee (R-UT) Lugar (R-IN) McCain (R-AZ) McConnell (R-KY) | Moran (R-KS) Murkowski (R-AK) Nelson (D-NE) Paul (R-KY) Portman (R-OH) Risch (R-ID) Roberts (R-KS) Rubio (R-FL) Sessions (R-AL) Shelby (R-AL) Thune (R-SD) Toomey (R-PA) Vitter (R-LA) Webb (D-VA) Wicker (R-MS) |
| Not Voting - 2 | ||
| Hatch (R-UT) | Kirk (R-IL) | |
| Vote Summary | By Senator Name | By Vote Position | By Home State |
Grouped by Home State| Alabama: | Sessions (R-AL), Nay | Shelby (R-AL), Nay |
| Alaska: | Begich (D-AK), Nay | Murkowski (R-AK), Nay |
| Arizona: | Kyl (R-AZ), Nay | McCain (R-AZ), Nay |
| Arkansas: | Boozman (R-AR), Nay | Pryor (D-AR), Yea |
| California: | Boxer (D-CA), Yea | Feinstein (D-CA), Yea |
| Colorado: | Bennet (D-CO), Yea | Udall (D-CO), Yea |
| Connecticut: | Blumenthal (D-CT), Yea | Lieberman (ID-CT), Yea |
| Delaware: | Carper (D-DE), Yea | Coons (D-DE), Yea |
| Florida: | Nelson (D-FL), Yea | Rubio (R-FL), Nay |
| Georgia: | Chambliss (R-GA), Nay | Isakson (R-GA), Nay |
| Hawaii: | Akaka (D-HI), Yea | Inouye (D-HI), Yea |
| Idaho: | Crapo (R-ID), Nay | Risch (R-ID), Nay |
| Illinois: | Durbin (D-IL), Yea | Kirk (R-IL), Not Voting |
| Indiana: | Coats (R-IN), Nay | Lugar (R-IN), Nay |
| Iowa: | Grassley (R-IA), Nay | Harkin (D-IA), Yea |
| Kansas: | Moran (R-KS), Nay | Roberts (R-KS), Nay |
| Kentucky: | McConnell (R-KY), Nay | Paul (R-KY), Nay |
| Louisiana: | Landrieu (D-LA), Nay | Vitter (R-LA), Nay |
| Maine: | Collins (R-ME), Yea | Snowe (R-ME), Yea |
| Maryland: | Cardin (D-MD), Yea | Mikulski (D-MD), Yea |
| Massachusetts: | Brown (R-MA), Nay | Kerry (D-MA), Yea |
| Michigan: | Levin (D-MI), Yea | Stabenow (D-MI), Yea |
| Minnesota: | Franken (D-MN), Yea | Klobuchar (D-MN), Yea |
| Mississippi: | Cochran (R-MS), Nay | Wicker (R-MS), Nay |
| Missouri: | Blunt (R-MO), Nay | McCaskill (D-MO), Yea |
| Montana: | Baucus (D-MT), Yea | Tester (D-MT), Yea |
| Nebraska: | Johanns (R-NE), Nay | Nelson (D-NE), Nay |
| Nevada: | Heller (R-NV), Nay | Reid (D-NV), Yea |
| New Hampshire: | Ayotte (R-NH), Nay | Shaheen (D-NH), Yea |
| New Jersey: | Lautenberg (D-NJ), Yea | Menendez (D-NJ), Yea |
| New Mexico: | Bingaman (D-NM), Yea | Udall (D-NM), Yea |
| New York: | Gillibrand (D-NY), Yea | Schumer (D-NY), Yea |
| North Carolina: | Burr (R-NC), Nay | Hagan (D-NC), Yea |
| North Dakota: | Conrad (D-ND), Yea | Hoeven (R-ND), Nay |
| Ohio: | Brown (D-OH), Yea | Portman (R-OH), Nay |
| Oklahoma: | Coburn (R-OK), Nay | Inhofe (R-OK), Nay |
| Oregon: | Merkley (D-OR), Yea | Wyden (D-OR), Yea |
| Pennsylvania: | Casey (D-PA), Yea | Toomey (R-PA), Nay |
| Rhode Island: | Reed (D-RI), Yea | Whitehouse (D-RI), Yea |
| South Carolina: | DeMint (R-SC), Nay | Graham (R-SC), Nay |
| South Dakota: | Johnson (D-SD), Yea | Thune (R-SD), Nay |
| Tennessee: | Alexander (R-TN), Nay | Corker (R-TN), Nay |
| Texas: | Cornyn (R-TX), Nay | Hutchison (R-TX), Nay |
| Utah: | Hatch (R-UT), Not Voting | Lee (R-UT), Nay |
| Vermont: | Leahy (D-VT), Yea | Sanders (I-VT), Yea |
| Virginia: | Warner (D-VA), Yea | Webb (D-VA), Nay |
| Washington: | Cantwell (D-WA), Yea | Murray (D-WA), Yea |
| West Virginia: | Manchin (D-WV), Yea | Rockefeller (D-WV), Yea |
| Wisconsin: | Johnson (R-WI), Nay | Kohl (D-WI), Yea |
| Wyoming: | Barrasso (R-WY), Nay | Enzi (R-WY), Nay |
| Vote Summary | By Senator Name | By Vote Position | By Home State |
