Message From the Editor

The United States has officially elected Joe Biden as its next president. And almost immediately a battle has begun over the future of fossil fuels in the country. With Democrats anxious about the probability that President-elect Joe Biden will be forced to grapple with a Republican-led Senate after taking office in January, a coalition of more than a dozen climate action groups are calling on Biden to take every possible step he can to help solve the planetary emergency without the approval of Congress. They are calling on him to be a “Climate President.”

Meanwhile, both Sen. Mitt Romney (R-UT) and Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV) immediately took to CNN and Fox News after the election to try and rally support for the coal industry in the wake of Biden's win. But their comments come as the world's largest coal producer, Peabody Energy, warns of going bankrupt — again. Justin Mikulka reports.

This all comes after oil executive Harold Hamm spoke during a corporate earnings call on Friday, November 6 about counting “all legal votes” — a phrase used by President Donald Trump to suggest that some votes cast in the 2020 election are not legitimate. Hamm joins others who dispute mainstream climate science in taking up this language in recent weeks. Sharon Kelly has the story.

Thanks,
Brendan DeMelle
Executive Director

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Biden Urged to Be #ClimatePresident by Taking These 10 'Game-Changing' Steps in First 10 Days in Office

— By Julia Conley, Common Dreams (5 min. read) —

With Democrats anxious about the probability that President-elect Joe Biden will be forced to grapple with a Republican-led Senate after taking office in January, a coalition of more than a dozen climate action groups are calling on Biden to take every possible step he can to help solve the planetary emergency without the approval of Congress.

Even in the face of a Senate controlled by Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) and the Republican Party, Biden can and must still be a “Climate President,” say the groups, which include the Center for Biological Diversity, Greenpeace, and Friends of the Earth.

Politicians Try to Rally Support for Coal Despite Economics and Biden Presidential Win

— By Justin Mikulka (12 min. read) —

The election results are a stark reminder of just how divided the country remains on many issues. However, in the days since the results were announced November 7, two senators from both parties are finding common ground in a familiar space: opposition to the Green New Deal and support for a dying coal industry.

Both Sen. Mitt Romney (R-UT) and Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV) immediately took to CNN and Fox News in the days after the election was called to try and rally support for the fossil fuel industry in the wake of Joe Biden's election as president — a success which brings with it the promise of strong climate action.

Climate Deniers Boost Pro-Trump Efforts to Cast Doubt on US Election

— By Sharon Kelly (5 min. read) —

In unusual remarks made during a corporate earnings call today, Friday, November 6, Continental Resources founder and executive chairman Harold Hamm referred to counting “all legal votes” — a phrase used by President Donald Trump to suggest that some votes cast in the 2020 election are not legitimate. The founder and executive chairman of the Oklahoma-based oil and gas company joined others who dispute mainstream climate science in taking up this language in the wake of this week's slowly unfolding presidential election.

“Finally, I wanted to provide my thoughts on the current state of the election,” Hamm said after discussing Continental Resources’ financial performance. “The election process is not final and we like you are waiting to see the results when all legal votes are counted.”

Massachusetts Locals Accuse Town Mayor Of ‘Colluding’ With Enbridge Over Controversial Natural Gas Project

— By Dana Drugmand (13 min. read) —

Residents of Weymouth, Massachusetts, are raising questions about a deal made between the city and multi-billion dollar Canadian energy pipeline company Enbridge, Inc., with some calling the situation a “complete sell-off” that could jeopardize the health of the community and environment.

Protesters during a demonstration outside the town hall on November 6 accused the mayor of “colluding” with Enbridge by signing a $10 million settlement agreement dropping the town's official opposition and legal fights against a newly constructed natural gas compressor station in town. Compressor stations, which pump large volumes of fracked gas at high pressure and are critical parts of gas pipeline infrastructure, are prone to hazards due to the extreme pressure by which the gas is processed.

From the Climate Disinformation Database: David R. Legates

David R. Legates is a Joint Associate Professor of Geography at the University of Delaware. In November 2020, Legates was reportedly tapped to head the U.S. Global Change Research Program — which oversees the National Climate Assessment — after the White House ousted the program’s head scientist. Earlier this year Legates was hired as deputy assistant secretary of commerce for observation and prediction at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). He will be leaving this post to serve in the new position until the end of President Trump’s term. Legates has authored numerous papers with climate denier Willie Soon, and in 2019 he told a House committee that “No efforts to stabilize the climate can possibly be successful. […] The current emphasis on climate change abatement will do far more harm than good.”

Read the full profile and browse other individuals and organizations in our Climate Disinformation Database or our new Koch Network Database.