Statement on President Biden’s ban on Russian oil imports
For Immediate Release: March 8, 2022
Contact: Miya King-Flaherty, Sierra Club Rio Grande Chapter, miya.king-flaherty@sierraclub.org, (505) 301 – 0863
Oil and gas supply and revenue are weapons used by Russian oligarchs and criminals, and our dependence on oil and gas is a threat to our national security. It is long past time to take away these weapons, which are subsidizing the war and creating the humanitarian crisis unfolding in Ukraine, by accelerating our transition to clean energy. Wind and solar energy don’t fuel wars and violence.
U.S. fossil-fuel corporations are shamelessly profiteering on the tragedy in Ukraine. If the climate catastrophe isn’t reason enough, national security and unity against invasion of a sovereign nation are. Meanwhile, industry spews pollution into our air and drinking water, putting our climate and communities at risk. We applaud President Biden’s strength and wisdom in banning Russian oil imports. An economy dependent on fossil fuels is an economy at the mercy of authoritarian aggression. Energy prices shouldn’t be dependent on the whims of a dictator like Putin.
These are costs stacked onto other liabilities, like the $8 billion worth of abandoned wells that the industry has left New Mexico taxpayers on the hook for. Instead of the industry holding us hostage with gas prices, it’s time for us to hold the industry accountable and time to move toward a clean and renewable energy future that is safe for us all. Our health, economy and safety will be better for it. New Mexico can create billions of dollars worth of economic activity just by holding the oil and gas industry accountable to clean up its messes.
Oil and gas cause violence, war and climate catastrophe. New Mexico simply cannot afford its reliance on oil and gas extraction anymore. New Mexico must stop depending on the oil and gas industry that harms our communities, environment, and national security and instead be a leader in creating a thriving renewable-energy future.
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