Separation of Oil & State: Follow the Money is a July 11th march on the capitol in Sacramento that exposes the connections between government and oil lobbyists. Organizers from 350 Sacramento and Stop Fooling CA will create a human oil slick to raise awareness about the impact of the oil lobby on government.
Separation of Oil and State – An Event on Thursday, July 11
By Stop Fooling CA and 350 Sacramento
Rain or shine, we’ll be bringing black umbrellas to Sacramento on Thursday, July 11.
Wearing black hats and shirts we’ll impersonate an oil slick as we march through the streets of the capitol at lunchtime. Our message is that oil has been dirtying state politics for too long – and if you agree, we hope to see you there.
California is leading America’s clean-energy revolution, with pollution-fighting programs far more advanced than even President Obama imagined in his climate-change speech last week. This helps explain why fossil-fuel lobbyists have recently been setting new records for pressuring our state lawmakers. They’re determined to stop us from showing the rest of the nation how smart energy laws can build our economy, attracting investments and jobs, as they help clean our air.
Oil industry lobbyists spent more than $25.5 million lobbying last year just in California. According to Oil Change International, the oil industry receives between $10 billion and $50 billion in government subsidies every year.
Oil lobbyists – including the Western States Petroleum Association (WSPA), California Chamber of Commerce, Chevron Corp., and California Manufacturers and Technology Association (CMTA) – are spending millions to try to fool Californians, claiming they can’t afford clean air standards even as they fatten themselves on federal subsidies and pocket record profits.
It’s all part of a shameless fossil fuel industry tradition that spans the last two decades. The lobbyists and their pet scientists have done their best to convince legislators that climate change isn’t happening, or that people aren’t causing it, or that, if it’s happening, it’s not a bad thing. (That’s right! Some industry-funded “experts” have argued that our increasingly weird weather will be a boon for agriculture. Tell that to farmers whose crops are threatened by this year’s record-setting drought.)
Fossil fuels must stay in the ground to keep the planet livable.
President Obama compared the climate-change deniers to the Flat Earth Society. The investigative reporter Ross Gelbspan exposed the pattern of lies in his book, The Heat is On, way back in 1997. Some have suggested that companies like Exxon will one day be liable for damages due to climate change, just like the tobacco industry, which similarly tried to lie its way out of culpability for its life-threatening products. Still, the industry’s riches have bought powerful influence in Washington, D.C., and, more recently, outside the Beltway. Oil industry lobbyists spent more than $25.5 million last year just in California, even as they’ve received up to $50 billion in government subsidies every year.
Our two organizations are determined to stand up against this dirty money. Stop Fooling CA represents the state’s leading public health, consumer, social justice and environmental advocates. 350 Sacramento works to engage Sacramento-area citizens and groups to build a global movement to combat climate change. (350 represents what leading scientists say is the safe upper limit for carbon dioxide in our atmosphere, measured in parts per million (ppm). Alas, we are currently at 400 ppm and climbing.)
Our rally, which we’re calling “Separation of Oil and State: Follow the Money” will call on California lawmakers to end tax subsidies and do more to support clean energy. Please join us for a sign and oil-slick making party on Saturday, July 6, from 1-5 p.m. at the Southside Park Cohousing Common House, at 434 T street.
On Thursday the 11th, we’ll meet at noon on the north steps of the Capitol, (at 11th & L) and march past oil lobbyists’ offices and the Federal Building. Bring your black hats and umbrellas, your enthusiasm, and your outrage!
SEPARATION OF OIL AND STATE: FOLLOW THE MONEY Thursday July 11, noon-1:00 North steps of the Capitol, 11th & L, Sacramento Email: info@350sacramento.org
SIGN and OIL SLICK MAKING PARTY Saturday, July 6, 1-5pm 434 T Street, Sacramento
The march is in spirit with the nationwide “Summer Heat” campaign against the fossil fuel industry sponsored by 350.org.
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