Friends of the Earth Briefs Congress on Billions in Potential Savings from Ending Polluter Giveaways

Para su publicación inmediata
February 24, 2011

Contacto:
Nick Berning, 202-222-0748, [email protected]
Damon Moglen, 202-222-0708, [email protected]

Friends of the Earth Briefs Congress on Billions in Potential Savings from Ending Polluter Giveaways

Climate and Energy Director Damon Moglen speaks at House Forum on the Impact of Budget Proposals on Justice, Job Creation, Public Safety and Civil Liberties

WASHINGTON, D.C.—Damon Moglen, Climate and Energy Director at Friends of the Earth, spoke today at a congressional forum organized in response to the ongoing budget debate.

Moglen, who was invited to speak by Rep. John Conyers (D-Mich.) showed how Congress can defend programs that are in the public interest from reckless spending cuts by instead cutting tens of billions in giveaways to corporate polluters.

Moglen urged members of Congress to avoid cutting important services for the poor and middle class and environmental protections, and he condemned proposed cuts to the EPA’s budget that would put lives at risk by weakening the agency’s ability to regulate toxic pollutants and heat-trapping gases.

“This attempt to use the budget debate to roll back the Clean Air Act is an attack on the public health and our nation’s future economic success,” Moglen testified.

Moglen called attention to the billions that can be saved by eliminating giveaways to the oil and coal industries and other polluters

“Being fiscally responsible and environmentally conscious are not mutually exclusive; we can save money by protecting the environment — we can save over $15 billion dollars a year by ending subsidies for fossil fuels,” Moglen said. “If funding is going to be cut from the budget, let’s do it there, and not by taking away nutritional support from little kids.”

The full text of the briefing Moglen delivered today can be found at /sites/default/files/foepresentation02242011.pdf

For more information about environmentally friendly budget savings, see Friends of the Earth’s Green Scissors report.

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Amigos de la Tierra y nuestra red de organizaciones de base en 76 países luchan por crear un mundo más sano y justo. Nuestras campañas actuales se centran en la energía limpia y las soluciones al cambio climático, en mantener las tecnologías tóxicas y peligrosas fuera de los alimentos que consumimos y los productos que utilizamos, y en proteger los ecosistemas marinos y a las personas que viven y trabajan cerca de ellos.