Trump pushes Big Oil lifeline
Polluter CEO Summit results in call for oil purchasesWASHINGTON– Following a meeting with Big Oil CEOs, Trump announced in a briefing this afternoon new efforts to support the oil and gas industry. He promised to keep the industry in “good shape” and called for allowing oil companies to use the Strategic Petroleum Reserve to store oil until the market improves. He reportedly told Secretary Brouillette during the meeting to seek out additional storage space.
An analysis from Friends of the Earth shows how substantial expansion of the Strategic Petroleum Reserve without Congress would likely be illegal. This announcement comes exactly one week after the signing of a stimulus bill that is expected to disproportionately benefit the cash-strapped fracking industry.
Lukas Ross, senior policy analyst at Friends of the Earth, issued the following statement in response:
Trump spent the afternoon chatting with Big Oil while healthcare workers are pleading for protective equipment. This is a national disgrace and a true testament to Trump’s actual priorities. We need a bailout for workers and communities, not polluters. Before Secretary Brouillette goes hunting for new storage space, he should remember that Congress said ‘no’ to this wasteful giveaway.
Expert contact: Lukas Ross, (202) 222-0724, [email protected]
Communications contact: Erin Jensen, (202) 222-0722, [email protected]