FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 23, 2008
Contact: Kristina Johnson 415.977.5619
Sierra Club Applauds Teamsters for Embracing Clean Energy
President Hoffa Announces Union's Withdrawal from Arctic Drilling Group
Oakland, CA -- At labor-environment summit in Oakland today, Teamsters President James P Hoffa announced that the union would be pulling out of the coalition that supports oil drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. Hoffa told union members that more drilling would do nothing to ease pain at the pump, and called instead for an investment in a clean energy economy that will create new jobs.
Statement of Sierra Club Conservation Director Greg Haegele
The Teamsters have recognized today that we can't drill our way out of this mess. We want to help lift American families and workers out of the hole we're in, and to do so we need to stop subsidizing big oil and start investing in clean energy.
When we work together, we can create good, green jobs while protecting America's special places like the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. Green jobs are in high-demand today and this demand will only grow as we invest in clean energy.
The truth is that drilling in America's fragile places won't significantly impact gas prices or help a single American family. It will only help the big oil companies, which made more than $123,300,000,000 in profits last year alone.
The Teamsters and the Sierra Club have both worked for more than a century to build a better nation. We have an opportunity now to shift the course of this nation towards a clean energy economy that will create jobs, stimulate the economy, and protect our clean air, water, and natural treasures.
We applaud the Teamsters for their bold vision of the future. We are proud to stand with them. We look forward to working to create green jobs and a clean energy economy together.
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