As the EPA weighs the non-existent pros and the many, many cons of their proposed rule to gut the Renewable Fuel Standard that determines how much renewable fuels should be mixed with gasoline, Americans United for Change announced a Sunday show commercial takeover March 23rd in the nation’s capital to underscore the consequences for rural jobs and all American consumers if they ultimately give Big Oil what they want: crippling their cheaper, cleaner renewable fuels competition. See script and fact sheet below for ‘Bottom Line’ and watch it here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CVf2Geu6Gos&feature=youtu.be ‘Bottom Line’ follows two previous Americans United TV ads in support of the RFS, “Simple Choice” and ‘Why Mess With Success?” , and its digital ad campaign ‘Big Oil Is the Real Winner’, fighting back against the oil industry’s lies.
Caren Benjamin, Executive Director, Americans United for Change: “Big Oil needs another giveaway from Washington like our coastal environment and economies need another BP deep-water spill. The industry already enjoys absurd loopholes that allowed the biggest companies among them to pay no taxes or even negative taxes in recent years. And while ethanol industry voluntarily gave up their tax credit at the end of 2011, Big Oil runs attack ads against lawmakers who dare to suggest they don’t need $4 billion a year in taxpayer subsidies at a time when they’re posting $100 billion in profit. And how does Big Oil pay back the taxpayers for all their generosity? By shaking them down at the pump and polluting their ground water. And now Big Oil – already accustomed to getting whatever they ask from Washington – now wants the EPA to help put out of business their 70 cent cheaper and cleaner renewable fuels competition. It’s time to draw the line not just because gutting the RFS is another giveaway to Big Oil, but because it’d be a huge takeaway from our rural economies, our national security, environment, and innovation towards cleaner renewable fuels of tomorrow. Why would we mess with the success of the RFS, whether it’s bolstering our national security by decreasing our reliance on overseas oil from unstable regions and regimes that hate us; or meeting 10 percent of the nation’s fuel needs; or saving consumers millions at the pump; or reducing carbon emissions; or creating 400,000 jobs and bringing in billions of dollars in new wealth in rural America. It just doesn’t make sense.”