WASHINGTON – During today’s announcement of a national emergency related to the coronavirus, President Trump announced he has instructed the Secretary of Energy to purchase “large quantities of oil for the Strategic Petroleum Reserve…we’re gonna fill it right up to the top.” In response, Alex Doukas, Stop Funding Fossils Program Director with Oil Change International released the following statement:
“Today with his announcement of purchasing oil to fill the Strategic Petroleum Reserve, Donald Trump has once again put the interests of oil and gas executives ahead of the interests of people and communities. With this move, Trump has rolled out a plan to prop up US oil companies before he has even bothered to guarantee paid sick leave for US workers who are going to be on the frontlines of the coronavirus crisis for weeks to come.
“It’s wildly inappropriate for the President of the United States to abuse the Strategic Petroleum Reserve as a tool to prop up the oil and gas industry at a time when the White House should be focusing on how to help everyday people in the US. Where is the relief for workers grappling with caring for their families, retail workers risking exposure every day, families grappling with debt and mounting bills while their livelihoods are put at risk? No, today President Trump focused on propping up polluting industries and trotting out CEOs to sell their wares.”