https://www.jayinslee.com/issues/freedom-from-fossil-fuels
Inslee for America
For Immediate Release:
Monday, June 24, 2019

Inslee Announces “Freedom from Fossil Fuels” Plan to Fight Climate Change and Hold Polluters Accountable

Inslee’s plan details an end to fossil fuel subsidies, rejection of new fossil fuel infrastructure and fracking, and the most aggressive ban on new fossil fuel leasing on public lands and offshore waters

Plan would ensure fossil fuel corporations are held financially and legally accountable for the harm caused by their climate pollution

Fort Lauderdale, FL
 – Today, Governor Jay Inslee released his “Freedom from Fossil Fuels” plan, the most aggressive plan for combating fossil fuel pollution ever proposed by a presidential candidate–-providing the vision necessary to create an American future free of fossil fuels.

WATCH
: Governor Jay Inslee will lay out his plan to transition the United States off fossil fuels at a speech from Everglades Holiday Park in the Florida Everglades at 11:00 AM ET / 8:00 AM PT. Tune into the livestream here.
 
Inslee’s Freedom from Fossil Fuels plan provides 16 detailed initiatives to end the fossil fuel industry’s grip on American energy, including: ending the gravy train of federal fossil fuel subsidies, phasing out fossil fuel production, strengthening government oversight and enforcement on polluting industries, and ensuring corporate accountability for the costs of climate change. These human and financial climate change costs are accelerating, and communities of color and those in poverty are the first and worst-impacted.
 
For years, corporate polluters have profited off fossil fuels and left taxpayers struggling to clean up their mess, from the damages of climate change to widespread public health issues. Governor Inslee’s plan holds polluters responsible, by establishing a new DOJ Office of Environmental Justice to prosecute polluters to the fullest extent of the federal law.
 
To build a clean energy economy, we must transition off of fossil fuels, and we will need a President who is willing to stand up to the fossil fuel corporations,” said Inslee. “They have polluted our air, our water, with impunity, raking in huge profits, all while taking huge subsidies from our federal government. The gravy train is over. My Freedom from Fossil Fuels plan will finally hold these corporations accountable for their pollution, wind down their production, and take away their sweetheart deals. It is time to confront the fossil fuel industry, and take on their corporate power. I'm ready to do that.

The Freedom from Fossil Fuels plan is the 4th policy plan as part of Inslee’s Climate Mission. The “100% Clean Energy for America” and "Evergreen Economy" plans were released in May. And the  “Global Climate Mobilization” plan was released earlier in June. Collectively, Inslee’s climate change plans have been called the “gold standard” and been given top ratings by groups such as Greenpeace. Altogether, Inslee’s Climate Mission Agenda will mobilize the nation to defeat climate change and create 8 million good, family-wage jobs building a more just, innovative and inclusive clean energy future.
   
Inslee’s Freedom From Fossil Fuels plan is built upon five key themes:
  • Ending Fossil Fuel Subsidies – With around $20 billion in yearly subsidies allocated to oil, gas, and coal companies, Inslee’s plan would repeal existing tax credits and deductions, eliminate other government giveaways and support including for overseas fossil fuel projects.
  • Banning New Federal Leasing and Phasing-Out Fossil Fuel Production – A Day 1 action, Inslee’s plan would ban all new fossil fuel leasing on public lands and offshore waters. He would then target existing leases, and enact a permanent ban on fossil fuel leasing on public lands, as well as bring an end to “fracking” nationwide. The Inslee Administration would establish a Presidential Commission on Energy Transition and pass a “G.I. Bill for Energy Workers,” to protect workers and ensure a truly just transition.
  • Holding Polluters Accountable  Inslee’s plan would ensure the United States finally holds big polluters liable for the environmental and health damages they inflict, including through the use of a Climate Pollution Fee, and in holding these companies accountable for climate damages under the law. Inslee also calls for a swift reversal of Trump’s “Dirty Air Power Plan” and implementing stronger safeguards to protect clean air, water and health in our communities. A new Office of Environmental Justice would be created inside the Insleeadministration’s Department of Justice as part of his proposal.
  • Rejecting Fossil Fuel Infrastructure – All new infrastructure proposals would undergo a “Climate Test” as part of Inslee’s plan, where projects that are unsafe for the climate are rejected, and states, tribal nations, and local governments are empowered to protect their water, air, and natural resources. The plan would address oil and gas pipelines and legacy infrastructure, while reinstating the Crude Oil Export Ban and restricting exports of other fossil fuels.
  • Improving Corporate Climate Transparency  Inslee’s plan takes action to increase federal financial oversight to monitor companies’ climate risks and their financial liabilities stemming from fossil fuel investments and climate pollution.
 
Inslee is announcing his plan from the Florida Everglades, just months after Florida’s 1st District Court of Appeals ruled in favor of proposed oil exploration in the wetlands. Inslee’s plan would restrict future drilling in and near critical public lands like the Everglades, and in doing so would protect the drinking water that the Everglades provide to nearly 6 million Floridians.
 
At a time when America and the world face a critical juncture for climate leadership, Inslee’s proposals send a loud and clear message that the country will no longer subsidize pollution and stand idly by while fossil fuel companies and executives put the future of the planet at risk. Inslee offers a real strategy to end America’s growing dependence on fossil fuels, address the legacy of climate pollution, and create strong safeguards and regulations that allow all Americans to live in clean and healthy communities. Read the full plan here.
 
Over the coming weeks, Inslee will continue to announce major climate policies to advance environmental justice; support rural communities and sustainable, thriving American agriculture; and ensure resilient communities and disaster recovery.
 
WHAT CLIMATE LEADERS SAY ABOUT JAY INSLEE’S FREEDOM FROM FOSSIL FUELS PLAN
 
"This bold plan doesn't flinch from the serious transformation in energy production that science tells us we need. I'm really heartened by Jay Inslee's commitment to tell hard truths to fossil fuel industries, and in offering a truly comprehensive climate plan for American voters."
– RL Miller, Founder, Climate Hawks Vote
 
“It’s pretty simple: if we’re going to tackle the climate crisis, we have to stop making it worse. But just because it’s simple doesn’t mean it’s easy. We need a President who will stand up to the power of the fossil fuel lobby and break its grip on our energy policy. This is that it looks like.”
– KC Golden, award-winning national climate advocate
 
“The proposals for how to reduce fossil fuel use proposed by Governor Jay Inslee are a pioneering contribution to defining how to implement the reductions in greenhouse gas emissions that are driving our race to climate catastrophe. The combination of a freeze on new fossil fuel infrastructure, ending fossil fuel subsidies, halting extraction on public lands and waters, plus a carbon fee provide a credible multi-pronged strategy for fossil fuel reduction. By combining these policies with massive investment in a new climate-protecting infrastructure, millions of high-quality climate-protecting jobs, and carefully laid out protections for all workers who may be affected by the transition, Gov. Inslee's plans lay out crucial elements for a transition to a climate-safe America.”
– Jeremy Brecher, research and policy director, Labor Network for Sustainability
 
“Fossil fuel corporations are attacking Indigenous communities and taking over Native lands. They are undermining democracy, violating treaties and wrecking the climate. They must be stopped. Governor Inslee plans to stand with our communities, turning rallying cries into laws."
– Julian Brave NoiseCat, Director of Green New Deal Strategy, Data for Progress
 
“Governor Inslee’s Day 1 executive action plan to ban new oil drilling leases in offshore waters demonstrates his commitment to protecting the Atlantic Coast from the inevitable oil spills and leaks that would harm our vibrant tourism, commercial fishing and recreation local economies.”
- Frank Knapp Jr, President & CEO, South Carolina Small Business Chamber of Commerce
 
“Governor Inslee continues to show the leadership needed to address the climate crisis. The five priorities detailed in the Freedom From Fossil Fuels Plan will drive innovation, create new jobs across the country and provide support to the communities who need it most in this transition.”
- Michael Green, Executive Director, Climate Xchange
 
“If you want to see both a comprehensive and effective climate plan for the United States, start with Jay Inslee’s proposal.  I haven’t seen one better from a presidential candidate,”
 Bill Snape, attorney with the Center for Biological Diversity Action Fund, and professor at American University’s Washington College of Law
 
"If I had a wish list of what I would like to see included in our country's energy plan, it would be Gov. Inslee's Freedom from Fossil Fuel Plan. The plan addresses the critical actions we need to take as a country to be able to seriously tackle our addiction to fossil fuels -- to stop exporting our oil and gas reserves, to hold the industry accountable that has knowingly gotten us into this mess, to remove decades of old policies that have more than generously subsidized oil and gas companies, to enable industry workers to transition to new energy and energy efficiency jobs, and to help those who have been directly harmed by the fossil fuels industry find justice.  And best of all, it puts an end to exploration and drilling in our life-giving oceans and protects our precious coasts."
- Peg Howell, Spokesperson for Stop Offshore Drilling in the Atlantic (SODA), Pawleys Island, SC

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