Top 12 Reasons Why Sanders is the Top Candidate for Environmentalists

by Ben Hauck

February 13th 2016





Environmentalists understand that local, state and national politics play a substantial role in protecting the environment, reducing pollution and fighting climate change. Politics and legislation alone will not solve the environmental crisis we face, but without support from government officials, the fight for a better future becomes an even greater challenge.

With this understanding, it becomes vital to elect government representatives at all levels who best represent the interests of environmentalists. The single most influential individual is without question the President of the United States. After extensive research into historical records and future policy intentions, it becomes clear that Bernie Sanders is the strongest presidential candidate to fight for the environment. Below are the top twelve reasons Sanders is the greenest presidential candidate.

1) Sanders was ranked number 1 in the Climate Hawks Vote Scorecard on Senate Democrats for the 113th Congress. Sanders was ranked number 3 the year prior and has been among the top ranked environmental Senators for years among multiple environmental groups.

2) Bernie is a co-sponsor and helped to announce the bill known as the “Keep it in the Ground Act.” The proposed bill would ban all new fossil fuel development on US federal lands and terminate any current leases that are not producing. The bill also bans offshore drilling for oil and gas in the Arctic and the Atlantic. It would also halt new leases for offshore drilling in the Pacific and the Gulf of Mexico.

3) Along with Senator Barbara Boxer, he introduced a fee-and-dividend energy bill called the Climate Protection Act in 2013. Fee-and-dividend programs are gaining momentum due to the fact that they tax greenhouse gas pollutants and then rebate part (or all) of the revenue back to citizens to balance out higher energy costs. The Sanders bill also intended the investment of part of the tax into energy efficiency, clean energy development and climate resiliency.

4) Bernie was against Keystone XL from the beginning, before others changed their position as popular opinion turned against the dirty tar sands oil pipeline. Back in 2014 Sanders stated that Keystone XL “would move us in exactly the wrong direction toward not only more dependence on fossil fuels but on some of the dirtiest fossil fuel imaginable. That is insane.” Clinton, in contrast, originally was supportive of Keystone XL. After avoiding a definitive answer for years, she finally caved to pressure and pivoted against Keystone XL.

5) Sanders introduced the End Polluter Welfare Act in 2012. The bill aimed to eliminate special tax deductions and credits for oil, coal and gas producers. The bill was again introduced on Earth Day in April 2015 by Sanders and Representative Keith Ellison to close tax loopholes and eliminate other subsidies for the fossil fuel industries.

6) The climate plan Sanders introduced in December 2015 aims to cut carbon emissions by 80% by 2050 while also creating 10 million clean energy jobs. The 16 page plan would implement a carbon tax and fight the fossil fuel industry head-on with bans on fracking, offshore drilling and the exportation of oil and liquefied natural gas. Environmental groups have praised the plan, including 350.org co-founder Bill McKibben who stated “Even more important than the plan is the credibility of the planner. Bernie has shown with years of committed action that he will not just talk about this stuff on the campaign trail, he will do it in the Oval Office.”

7) Bernie has been against the environmental disaster trade agreement known as the Trans-Pacific Partnership from the start. Virtually every environmental organization is strongly against the TPP, as it would grant trans-national corporations even greater legal and corporate power to pollute and legislate against countries that impact their assets or profitability with environmental laws.



8) Sanders has taken a strong stance against fracking and supports shutting down the Porter Ranch facility after one of the largest environmental disasters of our time.

9) In 2010 he authored a bill appropriately named 10 Million Solar Roofs and 10 Million Gallons of Solar Hot Water Act. The bill was intended to rapidly increase the production and installation of photovoltaic solar panels through an aggressive consumer rebate program. By dramatically increasing the scale of installations, total system costs would also be driven down through economies of scale.

10) Tenacious as always, Sanders introduced a similar bill in 2014 called the 10 Million Solar Roofs Act of 2014. The bill would require the Department of Energy to establish a rebate program to support consumer purchases of complete PV solar panel systems. Creating energy freedom and rebalancing power back to the individual citizen aligns perfectly with the democratic socialism platform.

11) Going back to 2007, Sanders co-wrote the Green Jobs Act with Hillary Clinton, then a Senator for NY. This bill allocated funding for clean energy implementation and energy efficiency research and development. It also included job training programs for those in need of updated career training (such as those in the coal industry), veterans, unemployed workers and at-risk youth.

12) Sanders is a strong champion for local, organic farming and has been against biotech giants such as Monsanto taking control of global food supplies. He has also fought for GMO labeling for years, proposing an amendment back in 2012.

Environmentalists from across the United States have a critical decision to make in the coming primaries and caucuses. Both Democratic candidates are infinitely better on the environment than their Republican counterparts. However between the two Democrats, Sanders is a significantly stronger champion for the environment. He does not take money from the fossil fuel industry, and he will not be influenced by corporate interests. Sanders is the greenest candidate, and he deserves consideration for your support.