Sep 1, 2020 - Energy & Climate

Climate change groups demand Biden ban fossil fuel reps in his admin

Ben Geman

Biden speaks during a campaign event at Mill 19 in Pittsburgh. Photo: Carolyn Kaster-Pool/Getty Images

The green movement's left flank is stepping up efforts to shape Joe Biden's circle of advisers, releasing an open letter Tuesday calling for a ban on all "fossil fuel executives, lobbyists, and representatives from any advisory or official position on [Biden's] campaign, transition team, cabinet, and administration."

The big picture: It's signed by 145 local and national groups. These are actors that will battle more moderate Democrats for influence if Biden wins and Democrats control Congress, such as Sunrise, Oil Change U.S., Justice Democrats, 350.org, Greenpeace and others.

The other side: The Washington Examiner has a good, detailed story about the pressure on Biden — and pushback against it. Josh Siegel reports...

"Centrist Obama administration alumni counter that it's counterproductive to impose limits on the pool of talent who can provide counsel to Biden on a complex and technical issue such as climate change."

"'The only litmus test should be that people who want to serve in the Biden administration should be 100% on board and supportive of the Biden climate agenda,' a former Obama administration official told the Washington Examiner, requesting anonymity to discuss a sensitive subject."

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Climate change groups demand Biden ban fossil fuel reps in his admin

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