TO: Interested Parties
FR: Sara Chieffo, VP, Government Affairs, League of Conservation Voters
RE: Trump’s Day One Actions & Pro-Polluter Agenda Will Raise Costs and Hurt Families
As we prepare for the inauguration of Trump and the intentionally overwhelming onslaught of executive orders to follow, we know that energy and climate is one area among a long list that he intends to roll back progress for the benefit of himself, his billionaire allies, and big polluter cronies.
The horrific wildfires in Los Angeles that have claimed more than two dozen lives and left thousands of families devastated with their homes destroyed, and more than 100,000 impacted by evacuations is a catastrophic example of the fossil-fueled disasters that are upon us. Now more than ever, we need to hold Big Oil and other Big Polluters accountable and build climate resilience, not line their pockets or block clean energy efforts.
Trump’s Day One Actions & Pro-Polluter Agenda Will Raise Costs and Hurt Families
Put simply, Trump’s approach to energy adds up to increased prices for families and increased profits for oil and gas executives while fanning the flames of climate fueled disasters. He campaigned on expanding oil and gas drilling and other items on Big Polluters’ wish list, but what he left out of his campaign speeches was the true costs that families would have to bear. We expect his Day One actions to quickly pivot away from the voters he made promises to during the campaign and instead reveal who he really cares about— not hard working families looking for lower costs and safer, healthier communities–but the billionaire oil and gas executives he surrounds himself with, and who are the only ones who stand to get richer at consumers’ and the environment’s expense.
If Trump were serious about lowering energy costs for families, bolstering energy security, having “the cleanest air and water,” and boosting the economy, he would be doubling down on abundant and quickly deployed clean energy like wind and solar instead of trying to ban it. Focusing exclusively on oil and gas while weakening environmental protections and blocking clean energy is not what the people want — regardless of their political affiliation. Let’s cut through the rhetoric because the consequences of Trump’s only-oil agenda will be costly to families and communities:
Energy costs for families will go up, not down:
Jobs will be lost: Canceling the clean energy manufacturing boom that we’ve experienced over the last two years would end hundreds of thousands of family-sustaining jobs in communities around the country which will not be replaced by a reliance on oil and gas.
Air and water will get dirtier and extreme weather will continue to devastate communities:
The U.S. will be less competitive: Trump’s plans to essentially ban clean energy and clean vehicles in the U.S. will cede these growing industries to countries like China, putting our country at an economic and energy security disadvantage and allowing China to dominate the world’s energy future.