Energy

DNC Will No Longer Take Money From Fossil Fuel Companies

REUTERS/Aaron P. Bernstein

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Jason Hopkins Immigration and politics reporter
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In an effort to highlight its environmental platform, the Democratic National Committee is no longer accepting campaign contributions from fossil fuel companies.

Executive members of the Democratic National Committee voted to ban all contributions from corporate political action committees related to the oil, gas and coal industries, the Huffington Post first reported Tuesday. The resolution was originally proposed by Christine Pelosi, a member of the DNC and daughter of House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi. (RELATED: Environmentalist: Why Are Americans Fearful Of Nuclear Energy?)

“Today we can act — in harmony with the millions of Americans demanding that we clean up our planet and our politics and join the hundreds of individual Democratic political candidates for office across the country who have pledged not to take money from the fossil fuel industry,” Christine Pelosi wrote in a Medium post published on Sunday.

More anti-fossil fuel resolutions might be on the horizon. The DNC is also considering a second resolution to ban contributions over $200 from any individual who works in the fossil fuel sector. Members are expected vote on the proposal during their Chicago board meeting in August.

“Fossil fuel corporations are drowning our democracy in a tidal wave of dark oily money; they have deceived the public about the impacts of climate change, fought the growth of clean renewable energy, and corrupted our political system,” a portion of the resolution states.

It’s not immediately clear how the new rule will affect the Democratic Party. Fossil fuel companies, having long favored Republican candidates, already do not donate much to Democratic candidates — comparatively speaking. According to the Center for Responsive Politics, the DNC received $2.6 million from mining firms and fossil fuel producers during the 2016 election. This figure that pales in comparison to the $56.1 million in contributions the real estate and finance industries gave to Democrats during the same election cycle.

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