Tomorrow afternoon, the Senate will vote on Bernard McNamee's nomination to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. If approved, he will become one of a 5-member commission that:
1) regulates the nation's energy market
2) reviews (read, approves) natural gas pipelines
He is a professional climate denier.
He is a Trump/Rick Perry loyalist.
He is pro coal bailout.
He spent 4 months as director of Life:Powered, an initiative of the Texas Public Policy Foundation, a member of the State Policy Network, the policy, communications, and litigation arm of ALEC.
He told an TPPF audience earlier this year that "What this is really about is changing the hearts and minds of the American people about what they think about energy and to start believing in it again, understanding that fossil fuels are not something dirty, something you have to move and get away from, but understand that they are the key, not only to our prosperity, but to the quality of life, but also towards the environment." And "The green movement is always talking about more government control because it's the constant battle between liberty and tryanny. It's about people who want to say, 'I know what's better for you.'"
Last year, Trump was able to fill 4 slots on the 5-member commission. All 5 members opposed his coal bailout. As one analyst put it, he doesn't want buyer's remorse this time, so he nominated someone who won't let him down.
Your senators know all of this. They also know about the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change report from October that told us we have 12 years, conservatively, to avert a climate catastrophe. They know about the grim U.S. climate assessment. They know it was issued on Black Friday as an outright attempt on the part of the Trump administration to bury it. They know that the California wildfires and other extreme weather events amount to the climate assessment playing out in real time. They know Trump just reiterated his plans to pull the U.S. out of the Paris climate agreement. And, speaking of Trump, they know his presidency is imploding.
So why are your senators about to confirm Bernard McNamee? It’s a question worth asking early and often tomorrow. My organization is one of many urging people to call their own senators and senate leaders all day. Find their numbers here. Send messages via Resistbot. Search the hashtag #rejectmcnamee to find tweets to retweet or write your own using the hashtag.
We have very little time to let the Senate know to reject McNamee. Please sign and share this petition. Many organizations are gathering signatures and pooling them for a delivery tomorrow.
https://petitions.moveon.org/sign/senate-dont-send-a-fossil?fbclid=IwAR2MArnjYLqBRZQBxIrS4PIwR7c07BOqWU9QZjniCtnQItnPeRcg7FTW0bw
The planet is on fire. Senators, stop fanning the flames.