We won a monumental and historic victory for the climate and for anti-fracking communities all over this country.
At the DNC platform hearings, Josh Fox, Bill McKibben, Ben Jealous, Dr. Cornell West, Jane Kleeb, Deborah Parker and the Sanders Delegation negotiated for a sea change in the policy of the Democratic Party.
The Democratic National Committee adopted strong language opposing fracked gas power plants, advocating for carbon and methane pricing, adopting a standard for all federal energy projects that they would not harm the climate, and committed to involving communities, people of color and native tribes in all future energy planning. Wow.
The amendment says the Democrats:
-Support a price on carbon AND methane
-Support high labor standards in the development of renewable energy
-Will fight to change the clean power plan to incentivize renewable energy over fracked gas.
-Any new infrastructure, like pipelines, must pass the climate test and take into consideration landowners, communities of color and tribal nations.
Announcing the unity amendment Josh said “This is what happens when you organize. This is what happens when you never say die.”
Our movement has forced establishment Democrats to come to the table. Our movement has forced establishment Democrats to take the science on climate change seriously, not just pat themselves on the back for being better than the Republicans on climate change.
But as Dr. Cornell West said during the announcement of the unity amendment “We’ve got to keep the focus on the gap between declaration and execution.”
Our movement will be required to hold them accountable.
We must be the ones who organize against every fracked gas power plant and pipeline. We must be the be the ones who organize against offshore drilling. We must be the be the ones who organize against the development of fossil fuels on public lands.
These projects fail the climate test and together we can stop them and build something better.
