Fossil Fuel Dollars and Democrats

The Democratic National Committee recently decided to no longer accept campaign donations from fossil fuel companies. The move signals the party’s commitment to addressing climate change. But could blocking contributions from oil, gas and coal companies end up hurting Democrats in the midterm election? We discuss the new DNC policy with RL Miller, political director at Climate Hawks Vote, chair of the California Democratic Party’s environmental caucus, and a co-author of the resolution. Before that, we answer a listener’s question about the influence of billionaire conservative activists Charles and David Koch. Did Republicans start to resist climate action because of the Koch brothers' involvement?  We also check in on the non-partisan, non-profit Citizens' Climate Lobby, which met with members of Congress last week to advocate for a price on carbon. One participant admits progress is slow, but insists the dialogue is valuable.  To kick off the show, we briefly circle back on the Climate Solutions Caucus, bipartisan group of lawmakers seeking to advance climate change policies. Several Republican members recently voted against valuing carbon in environmental regulations. Is the Caucus a sham? Recommended reading: HuffPost: DNC Quietly Adopts Ban On Fossil Fuel Company Donations NYT: How G.O.P. Leaders Came to View Climate Change as Fake Science GTM: Conservative Groups Come Out Against the Suniva, SolarWorld Trade Case E&E News: Here’s how one group pitches a carbon tax to the GOP Washington Examiner: House GOP blocks Obama-era rules on cost of climate change Subscribe to the Political Climate podcast via Apple Podcasts, Google Play, TuneIn, Overcast and Stitcher. Look out for us soon on Spotify! Follow Political Climate on Twitter @Poli_Climate.