[Vision2020] 350.org: Petition for Congress to End to Fossil Fuel Subsidies.

Sat Mar 17 15:21:36 PDT 2012

I used to think that raising the price of gas would be a good thing.  
People would conserve more, the government would be spending a little 
less, and alternative energy systems would have less of a disadvantage 
when competing against fossil fuels.  And perhaps in small increments at 
the right times it could be.  However, outright ending the subsidies to 
oil companies would be a resoundingly *bad* idea.  Here's why.

I've seen a couple of studies on the web that claim that without fossil 
fuel subsidies, we would be paying anywhere between $12.75 and $15.14 a 
gallon for gas.  Here is a link to an article about one from 1998: 
http://www.commondreams.org/pressreleases/Nov%2098/111698e.htm

Imagine what that would do to your average person in this economy.  The 
price of almost everything would rocket sky-high.  Items we buy are 
shipped mostly by truck, by sea, or by air.  All of these methods would 
be affected by such a large spike in the cost of gas.  If you wanted to 
put the brakes on a fragile economic turnaround that is trying to happen 
right now, I can't think of a better way.  People living 
paycheck-to-paycheck would be hurt the most.  Food prices would be the 
first casualty, and that would affect a lot of people in a bad way.  
Tourism and travel would also suffer greatly.  So would companies that 
sell the least essential items, because people would have less money to 
spend because of the price of everything else has gone up.  The evil 
1%-ers would be affected the least by this.  Not everyone is in a 
position to walk or bike to work, and we live in a country that has been 
designed around the automobile.  Mass transit is adequate only in the 
highest-density areas of the country.

In the long run, after the damage has been done and life as we know it 
has changed and we're back on the road to recovery a decade or two from 
now, we probably would have more access to alternative energy systems 
and public transportation, just out of sheer necessity.  But at what 
price?  I would bet that more undue hardship would happen to more people 
in the next ten years if you turned subsidies off tomorrow than climate 
change (whatever it's cause) would in the next fifty.

When the economy has recovered a bit more, I could back a scheme to move 
a small portion of those subsidies from the fossil fuel industry to 
alternative energy research.  Easing us into less of a dependence on oil 
might be wise, as long as we keep  working on alternative energy, power 
grid updates, and mass transit and as long as we do so slowly in order 
to reduce the shock on the populace.  It's definitely worth looking 
into, anyway.

Paul

On 03/16/2012 04:18 PM, Ted Moffett wrote:
>
> Dear friends,
>
> We just recorded a new video that I think you’ll enjoy: 
> www.350.org/join-the-fight 
> <http://act.350.org/go/1206?akid=1667.703294.WiG_WZ&t=1>
>
> <http://act.350.org/go/1206?akid=1667.703294.WiG_WZ&t=2>
>
> *I'm pretty sure this video won't go viral and get 50 million views in 
> 24 hours -- and it doesn't need to.* It’s more of an internal update 
> for the extended 350.org <http://350.org> family, a chance for all of 
> us to reflect and get ready for some busy months ahead.
>
> *As 350.org <http://350.org> co-founder Bill McKibben explains in the 
> video <http://act.350.org/go/1206?akid=1667.703294.WiG_WZ&t=3>, we're 
> gearing up for a major new fight to end the billions of dollars in 
> subsidies the fossil fuel industry receives each year* -- the 
> tax-breaks, handouts, and loopholes that are just adding to the 
> record-breaking profits that these companies are already making. And 
> perhaps most importantly, getting rid of fossil fuel subsidies across 
> the board would be a huge step to cutting carbon emissions and putting 
> us back on a pathway to 350 ppm.
>
> The subsidies battle is gaining momentum, and fast. In a recent 
> speech, President Obama called for an end to subsidies to Big Oil and 
> said, “Let's put every single member of Congress on record: You can 
> stand with oil companies or you can stand up for the American people.”
>
> As you probably know, we haven’t agreed with President Obama on 
> everything, but we think getting every member of Congress on the 
> record is a great idea. As a first step, we just launched this short 
> and simple petition 
> <http://act.350.org/go/1206?akid=1667.703294.WiG_WZ&t=4> that reads: 
> /"I call on Congress to end all subsidies to fossil fuel companies, 
> and invest in green jobs and clean energy instead."/
>
> *Please take a minute to add your name to the petition calling for 
> Congress to put an end to fossil fuel subsidies 
> <http://act.350.org/go/1206?akid=1667.703294.WiG_WZ&t=5>*. Over the 
> next month, we'll ramp up the pressure -- on Twitter, on Facebook, 
> over the phones, and in district -- to get every politician to tell us 
> where he or she stands on these subsidies. For now, we'll use this 
> petition to show Congress how important this issue is -- and when we 
> launch our big push to get every member of Congress on the record, 
> they'll know that we have an army of concerned citizens who have our 
> back.
>
> *As Rev. Lennox Yearwood of the Hip-Hop Caucus says in the video, “To 
> make this movement successful, we have to continue to keep the 
> pressure going.” *We couldn't agree more. Along with taking on fossil 
> fuel subsidies, we're gearing up for some massive new efforts to build 
> this movement:
>
>     * Taking on more iconic fossil fuel fights across the country and
>       around the world.
>     * “Connecting the Dots” between climate change and extreme weather
>       -- expect more on that front /very/ soon!
>     * Training and supporting thousands of new climate leaders to
>       strengthen our movement.
>     * And lots more…
>
> None of this work is possible without your participation and 
> leadership. As Bill says in the video 
> <http://act.350.org/go/1206?akid=1667.703294.WiG_WZ&t=6>: /“This fight 
> is going to be a lifetime fight. I’m so, so, so grateful to all of you 
> who are playing such a huge role in it.”/
>
> On we go,
>
> May Boeve for the 350.org <http://350.org> Team
>
> ------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> *Links and Articles*
>
> "Scrapping fossil-fuel subsidies would get us halfway on climate 
> change" <http://act.350.org/go/1209?akid=1667.703294.WiG_WZ&t=7> - The 
> Washington Post: go.350.org/ypIIRs 
> <http://act.350.org/go/1209?akid=1667.703294.WiG_WZ&t=8>
>
> ------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> 350.org <http://350.org?akid=1667.703294.WiG_WZ&t=9> is building a 
> global movement to solve the climate crisis. Connect with us on 
> Facebook <http://facebook.com/350.org> and Twitter 
> <http://twitter.com/350>, and sign up for email alerts 
> <http://350.org/signup?akid=1667.703294.WiG_WZ&t=10>. You can help 
> power our work by getting involved locally and donating here. 
> <http://350.org/donate?akid=1667.703294.WiG_WZ&t=11>
>
> What is 350? Go to our website 
> <http://350.org/science?akid=1667.703294.WiG_WZ&t=12> to learn about 
> the science behind the movement.
>
> /-----------------------------------------------------------------/
>
> /Vision2020 Post: Ted Moffett
> /
>
> //
>
>
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