"More than 80 percent of industry campaign contributions went to Trump or other Republican candidates who are likely to block climate action. "
"Even as Joe Biden and Congressional Democrats have built a commanding lead in the money race ahead of the November election, the nation's oil and gas industry has continued to direct its formidable financial clout to support President Donald Trump and Republicans.
The spending gap in campaign contributions reflects the starkly different platforms of the two parties on energy and climate change. Biden, the Democratic nominee for president, has promised to spend $2 trillion to pivot the nation's energy system away from fossil fuels, while Trump has spent the last four years rolling back or eliminating dozens of regulations that aimed to limit fossil fuel emissions and consumption.
Energy and climate change have been overshadowed on the campaign trail by the coronavirus, the economy and other issues. But since the last debate, Trump has seized on Biden's comment that he would transition away from oil to argue that the Democrat would jeopardize jobs for those who work in the industry. Even in the energy producing swing state of Pennsylvania, however, it's not clear whether Biden's positions on climate change and fossil fuels are turning off many undecided voters."
Nicholas Kusnetz reports for InsideClimate News October 28, 2020.
