“No presidential candidate is going to get taken seriously on climate change if they’re funded by and taking advice from current and former fossil fuel executives.”

Former Vice President Joe Biden is not going to make many environmentalists and progressive Democrats happy when they learn who is on his staff.

Shady Connections

Biden, 77, has a multitude of people tied to the oil and gas industry on his campaign staff, according to a new report by Real Sludge.

Heather Zichal, the climate advisor for the Biden campaign, used to be a board member at Cheniere Energy, a natural gas company. Andrew Goldman, a former adviser to Biden and a current fundraiser, is the co-founder of natural gas company Western LNG. And Unite the County, the SuperPac that is supporting him, has a former gas lobbyist on its board, Sludge said.

Biggest Connection

But the most dangerous connection to the gas and oil industry is Biden’s campaign co-chairman Louisiana Democratic Rep. Cedric Richmond. Richmond has been a steady vote in favor of the expansion of the production and exporting of natural gas and oil.

He voted in favor of the Keystone XL pipeline and “voted in favor of a bill from Rep. Bill Johnson (R-Ohio) that would undermine the environmental review process for natural gas pipelines by stating that all pipelines that transport 0.14 billion cubic feet per day or less should be immediately approved,” Sludge reported.

Richmond also voted for bills to exempt cross-border pipelines from environmental review, reverse the crude oil export ban, expand offshore drilling and block the EPA from regulating the disposal of toxic coal ash.

“This is all deeply concerning,” Stephen O’Hanlon, the communications director of Sunrise Movement told Sludge. “No presidential candidate is going to get taken seriously on climate change if they’re funded by and taking advice from current and former fossil fuel executives, and choosing to take cues from members of Congress who’ve put the interests of oil and gas donors above the health and well-being of their constituents.”

Democrat Debate

But Biden was singing another tune on Thursday night at the PBS News Hour 2020 presidential debate that was simulcast on CNN.

“We’re the only country that’s taken great crises and turned them into enormous opportunities. I’ve met with the union leaders. For example, we should in fact be making sure right now that every new building built is energy contained, that it doesn’t leak energy, that, in fact, we should be providing tax credits for people to be able to make their homes turn to solar power,” he said.

“They’re all kinds of folks right here in California who are now on the verge of having what Rhys batteries the size of this podium that store energy when the wind isn’t blowing or the sun isn’t shining. We have enormous opportunities.

“For example, you talk about would we relocate people who lost their home. We have to not rebuild the standard that existed before when we talk about when we come in and help people. We have to rebuild to the standard that exists today.

“For example, we shouldn’t build a new highway in America that doesn’t have charging stations on it. We have an opportunity to put 550,000 charging stations so that we own the electric vehicle market, creating millions of jobs for people installing them as well as making sure that we own the electric vehicle market. There are so many things we can do.

“We have to make sure we explain it to those people who are displaced, that their skills are going to be needed for the new opportunities,” he said.

That is likely to come as unwelcome news to the oil and gas industry veterans on his own staff.