DNC removes measure calling for end of fossil fuel subsidies from platform

The Democratic National Committee (DNC) has quietly removed a portion of its climate platform saying that it wants to end subsidies to fossil fuel companies, HuffPost reported.

Party officials in July added an amendment that said “Democrats support eliminating tax breaks and subsidies for fossil fuels, and will fight to defend and extend tax incentives for energy efficiency and clean energy,” to a group of provisions that were approved together, according to the news outlet. 

However, that language does not appear in the final version of the party’s platform. 

A DNC spokesperson told HuffPost in a statement that the amendment was “incorrectly included” and removed “after the error was discovered.” 

DNC spokespeople didn’t immediately respond to The Hill’s requests for comment. 

Although the party has decided to not endorse ending fossil fuel subsidies, it is a position that its nominee, former Vice President Joe Biden, has endorsed. 

“The Biden plan will be paid for by reversing the excesses of the Trump tax cuts for corporations, reducing incentives for tax havens, evasion, and outsourcing, ensuring corporations pay their fair share, closing other loopholes in our tax code that reward wealth not work, and ending subsidies for fossil fuels,” his climate plan says. 

The party’s 2016 platform also called for ending fossil fuel subsidies. 

Environmental activists blasted the DNC’s action on social media. 

“This move plays directly into the pockets of the oil and gas executives and lobbyists who’ve been vying for handouts for decades, and is a slap in the face for our movements for climate justice,” tweeted Greenpeace USA. 

Well, we noticed. This move plays directly into the pockets of the oil and gas executives and lobbyists who’ve been vying for handouts for decades, and is a slap in the face for our movements for climate justice.

— Greenpeace USA (@greenpeaceusa) August 18, 2020