For some time, the right’s attempts to win over minority voters has focused mostly on social issues–the same playbook that has conned white evangelicals into voting for anything with an “R” next to it. Recently, however, the Tea Party’s biggest money men, the Koch brothers, have opened up a new front. They’re trying to use the energy debate to woo blacks away from the Democrats.
The Kochs’ main vehicle in this effort is Fueling US Forward, a pro-fossil fuels public relations group. It was founded in the spring of 2016, and has the stated goal of “educating the public about the value and potential of American energy.” The group is so new that it has yet to make any public filings about its activities. However, it has been tirelessly active, particularly in efforts to woo minorities away from support of renewable energy.
Fueling US Forward’s president, Charles Drevna, is the former CEO of Sunoco, attended the National Black Political Convention in Gary, Indiana this past August, and helped push through a resolution that panned subsidies for electric vehicles and solar panels, claiming that they only helped the wealthy and would drive up fuel costs. It’s a tactic similar to those used by the tobacco and soft drink industries in their outreaches to minorities. They claim that the black community benefits the most from cheap fossil fuels, and would feel the squeeze if oil prices rise.
The convention was organized by the National Policy Alliance, an umbrella organization of organizations representing black elected officials. Its executive director, Linda Haithcox, acknowledged taking money from Fueling US Forward, but claims that funding hasn’t affected its stance on energy.
Later that month, Drevna spoke at a training forum organized by Blacks in Government, an organization for black civil servants. Later in the summer, Fueling US Forward helped organize a gospel concert in Richmond. At that concert, Hubbel Relat, former vice president of the American Energy Alliance, spoke about the effects of high energy costs on the majority-black city. The American Energy Alliance has received funding from the Kochs in the past.
Eddie Bautista, executive director of the NYC Environmental Justice Alliance, called BS on Fueling US Forward’s appeals to blacks’ wallets. He pointed out that the costs of wind and solar power are actually going down, which would make lessening reliance on oil and gas a win-win for everyone. Indeed, as Bill Nye noted last summer, it’s already been proven that a number of states could easily get all or most of their power from wind and solar energy if done right. The East Coast, in particular, could get enough power from the wind blowing along the Eastern Seaboard to meet its power needs forever.
The Kochs may have the money to push their message. But we have the data to back up our message. If we get it out, we win. It’s that simple.
(featured image courtesy DonkeyHotey, available under a Creative Commons-BY license)
