Handel has taken $59,000 from Big Oil and Gas over the course of her political career
Devastating wildfires. Polluted air. Rising sea levels. Endangered public lands. Climate change is real and it is causing irreparable damage to communities across the country, including Georgia. Despite the dire warnings from scientists, corrupt politicians continue to prevent any meaningful action on climate change. The reason behind this inaction is politicians like ex-Congresswoman Karen Handel who betray their constituents by taking campaign checks from Big Oil and Gas and do their bidding in Congress. Over her career, Handel has taken $59,000 from the energy sector.
Americans want action on climate change:
70% of Americans understand climate change is happening and believe it is “important.” 69% of Americans – including a majority of Republicans – believe the U.S. needs to take “aggressive” action to fight climate change. 78% of Americans believe the government should invest more to develop clean energy sources.
But the energy special interests spend big on politicians:
Since the 2010 Citizens United decision, the energy sector has spent $738 million in campaign contributions. 10 of 17 of the biggest corporate contributions to outside groups in the 2018 cycle came from oil & gas companies. During the 2018 election cycle, the energy sector spent $326 million on lobbying, with nearly 65% of the 1,850 lobbyists hired by the industry coming through the revolving door.
“You can’t expect Karen Handel to be serious about climate change when her hands are greased with corporate PAC money from Big Oil and Gas,” said Tiffany Muller, President of End Citizens United. “These industries and their corporate PACs don’t donate out of generosity – they expect their interests to be protected at all costs, even if it means destroying the environment. It’s nothing but corruption at the expense of Georgians’ health and livelihoods.”
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