By Lynn Thorp, National Campaigns Director
Shortly before the U.S. Senate
failed to overturn Big Oil subsidies, President Obama
spoke in the Rose Garden about the need to set our sights on a clean energy future and to stop handing billions of dollars a year to oil companies who are making record profits.
American oil and gas companies are doing just fine, as evidenced not only by record profits but also by the price people are paying at the pump. There’s absolutely no reason they need handouts from U.S. taxpayers. We applaud the U.S. Senators
who voted to put an end to this inane policy. While they represented a simple majority, the
Repeal Big Oil Tax Subsidies Act (S. 2204) needed 60 votes to pass. The
47 U.S. Senators who voted against the bill appear to remain in the pocket of Big Oil. We sure don’t want to hear any of them complaining about high gas prices.
Bailouts for Big Oil are not fair. Subsidies for oil companies don’t pave the way for a clean energy future and they sure don’t lower the price people have to pay at the pump. Propping up fossil fuels won’t protect our children from the havoc that climate change will create for our water resources and so much more or prevent air pollution’s health impacts right now.
Here’s hoping Congress listens to the American people about the pain high gas prices are causing them and steps up to end this taxpayer handout.
