LETTER: Fossil fuels

Published 1:30 am Friday, July 3, 2026

The world as we know it today was built on the back of burning fossil fuels.

Unfortunately, that process has come at a tremendous cost.

Emissions from burning fossil fuels are rapidly warming our world at a rate that has never occurred in the history of our planet. Why, then, do we continue to burn planet-killing fossil fuels?

One primary reason is the tremendous control the fossil fuel industry has over our government. The industry spends about $250 million per year lobbying elected officials. The vast majority of that money goes to Republican officials and candidates.

During the 2024 presidential campaign alone, oil interests gave more than $75 million to Donald Trump’s affiliated political action committees.

That lobbying money serves as a highly effective financial instrument. It yields unparalleled returns on investment by securing multibillion-dollar taxpayer subsidies, rolling back environmental regulations and aggressively stalling clean energy competition.

In addition, our federal government spends between $20 billion and $35 billion a year on direct handouts to the fossil fuel industry. These perks primarily include special tax breaks, deductions, cheap access to drilling on public lands and regulatory loopholes.

We cannot expect meaningful climate action as long as our representatives are financially beholden to the very industry driving this crisis.

It is time for voters to demand absolute transparency and use their ballots to reject candidates who prioritize fossil fuel payouts over our planet’s future.

Ron Sadler

Port Angeles