This story was originally published by Capitol Weekly.
The Trump administration’s raid in Venezuela reveals a dangerous truth about the fossil fuel economy: So long as we remain dependent on dirty expensive fuels, chaos, violence and corruption will flourish. But it doesn’t have to be this way. The clean energy solutions that can end this pattern are already at our fingertips, and it’s up to California to continue to lead the way out of this mess.
As Trump himself acknowledged, this attack is fundamentally about oil. But an illegal invasion — which has reportedly killed 80 civilians and members of security forces — is an incredible gamble on global security to steal a resource that’s becoming obsolete, all while the rest of the world races ahead on clean energy innovation.
California faces an important choice as we enter a critical election year: We can continue to allow our political processes to be corrupted by an oil industry willing to wage war and risk lives for profit, or we can be emboldened by this moment and elect leaders who are committed to investing in clean energy from renewable resources, prompting peace and prosperity.
We know all too well the costs of fossil fuel dependency. Over just the past three months, more than 200 oil spills have polluted our ports, harbors and waterways. That’s an average of 70 spills per month.
As you read this, more than 4,000 gallons of oil and contaminated wastewater spilled from a pipeline in Monterey County near the Salinas River, a key source for drinking water and irrigation.
And those are just the costs of transporting oil. Burning it is causing 10,000 premature deaths every year in California, as well as mega-fires and other extreme weather disasters that continue to devastate communities across our state.
The Trump administration will stop at nothing to force fossil fuels onto a public that increasingly is rejecting them. Earlier this month, the Trump administration overrode California safety objections and demanded the state restart a pipeline that ruptured in 2015, spilling over 100,000 gallons of crude oil in Santa Barbara County.
And federal officials are now suing California cities Morgan Hill and Petaluma to block energy efficient electric building codes that help cities build more housing more quickly and affordably by bypassing polluting methane gas pipelines.
This is fossil fuel dependency in action: Chaos and costs passed to communities while oil industry profits flow upward to executives, backed by federal power.
The race for the next governor of California represents a critical battleground in this epic fight of the people vs. corporations. Candidates who tackle corporate accountability head-on will win in California.
We need a candidate who is up to the challenge of fighting for the clean and prosperous future we know is possible. We cannot afford leaders who will stay on the sidelines or bow down to corrupted special interests. It’s time to kick the oil industry out of Sacramento and follow the will of the people.
And the evidence is clear that there are only benefits ahead. California must stay the course on the state’s significant progress on electric vehicle adoption and efficiency while growing our clean mobility options.
County planners in Kern County — the heart of the state’s oil production — recently credited the region’s “vast solar and wind potential” as supporting an emerging energy hub. This represents economic opportunity, not sacrifice.
Rather than giving in to the bullying led by the army of oil and gas lobbyists who flood Sacramento every single legislative session, trying to lock us into short-term thinking, it’s time for California leaders to redouble our commitment to ending our reliance on dirty expensive fuels.
When we accelerate our transition to clean energy, we’re creating good jobs, building clean infrastructure and resilience, and supporting healthy and thriving communities.
Clean energy is affordable energy, and it’s ours for the taking — no military operation needed.
Mary Creasman is CEO of California Environmental Voters.
Capitol Weekly covers California government and politics in order to enlighten and educate Californians about public policy and state governance, and to provide a platform for engagement with public officials, advocates and political interests.
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