Sanders: Energy industry ‘hell-bent’ on climate change apathy

Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) on Monday outlined the climate policy he would implement as president, slamming the fossil fuel industry for using its wealth to prevent action.

“Right now, we have an energy policy that is rigged to boost the profits of big oil companies like Exxon, BP and Shell at the expense of average Americans,” he wrote.  

{mosads}“CEOs are raking in record profits while climate change ravages our planet and our people — all because the wealthiest industry in the history of our planet has bribed politicians into complacency in the face of climate change,” Sanders continued.

“It’s time for a political revolution that takes on the fossil fuel billionaires, accelerates our transition to clean energy and finally puts people before the profits of polluters,” the 2016 Democratic presidential candidate added.

“Let’s be clear: The reason we haven’t solved climate change isn’t because we’re not doing our part, it’s because a small subsection of the one percent are hell-bent on doing everything in their power to block action.”

Sanders wrote that climate change is “the single greatest threat facing our planet.”

His plan calls for reducing carbon emissions, creating a clean energy workforce, banning fossil fuel lobbyists from the White House and gradually shifting the nation’s infrastructure toward clean energy resources. 

The Sierra Club praised Sanders’s new climate policy in a statement issued Monday.

“We commend Senator Sanders for proposing this ambitious energy plan,” said Michael Brune, the environmental organization’s executive director.

“These proposals are rooted in clear recognition of the fact that the top priorities for a responsible energy policy are cutting dangerous carbon pollution as fast as possible, and providing even further momentum for the booming clean energy economy,” Brune continued.

“We can’t afford to wait a minute longer to tackle the climate crisis, or to ensure that all American families have clean air to breathe and clean air to drink.”

–This report was updated at 10:58 a.m.