Senators Urged to Clean Up Oil Money Spill in Washington

Oil Change International Launches Accountability Campaign Demanding a Separation of Oil and Senate

WASHINGTON, Aug. 17 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- As 60,000 barrels of oil or more spilled into the Gulf of Mexico a day, the U.S. Senate voted to preserve subsidies to the oil industry.  As the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Agency announced the planet has just come through the warmest decade, the warmest year, and the warmest April, May, and June on record, the Senate utterly failed to pass any energy, climate change, or even oil spill response legislation.

Oil Change International offers an explanation for this complete abrogation of leadership with the launch of its new campaign: CleanUptheSenate.com.  The website profiles 46 U.S. Senators – Democrat and Republican – who are aligned with the oil industry.  They are portrayed bobbing in a sea of petroleum.  A six-figure advertising campaign and extensive social media push accompanies the campaign.

The site is an escalation of a campaign to end oil and coal company campaign contributions - DirtyEnergyMoney.com – which launched last week.  It is supported by more than a dozen organizations including True Majority, 350.org, MoveOn, Public Citizen, and Greenpeace.

"We hope Americans are motivated to clean up the gusher of oil money that is currently covering these Senators," said Steve Kretzmann, Oil Change Executive Director.  "This campaign exposes these Senators and lets people send them a message that it's time they clean up their act.  It's time for a Separation of Oil and State."

Oil Change International is a non-profit research and advocacy organization that specializes in campaigns to expose the true costs of fossil fuels, facilitate the transition towards clean energy and identify the political barriers to policies that foster a more sustainable future. 

On the website – CleanUptheSenate.com – Oil Change has compiled information such as recent votes on key legislation, political campaign contributions, and more.  Citizens can search for their Senators and determine if their records on energy policy reflect a pattern of serving the special interests, not the public interest. They can also spread the word and remind their elected officials that the first step in breaking America's addiction to oil is for them to accept that they have a problem –and that they need to be part of the solution.

"The United States is paying a heavy price for its dangerous dependence on fossil fuels," said John Sellers, a Director of Oil Change International.  "The Gulf Coast disaster is but the latest wake-up call.  It's time the Senate moved us forward instead of backwards on energy, to a clean, renewable future that boosts jobs, protects the planet and secures America," said Sellers.

Visit the site and click through to see who's bobbing in petroleum.

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SOURCE Oil Change International