Climate advocates fear picking JD Vance for VP is ‘a dangerous step backward’
Vance’s record shows ‘pattern of prioritizing fossil fuel interests’ over the climate crisis, environmentalist says

Nina Lakhani
Tue 16 Jul 2024 10.00 EDT

JD Vance’s close ties to the fossil fuels industry and eagerness to please Donald Trump pose a major threat to Americans and the planet, environmental advocates have warned.

The Republican nominee for vice-president, a wealthy venture capitalist who was elected to the US Senate in 2022, went from voicing concern about the climate crisis before running for political office to voting to roll back environmental protections and to repeal landmark climate legislation boosting renewables and electric vehicles.

“The selection of JD Vance as a potential vice-president is a dangerous step backward for climate action in the United States,” said Cassidy DiPaola, spokesperson for Fossil Free Media’s Make Polluters Pay campaign. “Senator Vance’s record shows a clear pattern of prioritizing fossil fuel interests over the urgent need to address the climate crisis.”

The Ohio senator – who once was a strident critic of Trump – has received $340,289 from the oil and gas industry in campaign contributions since 2019 and is among the top industry benefactors so far this election cycle, according to OpenSecrets, a campaign finance watchdog site.

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