koch machine

Koch bros want you to think fossil fuels are great for the whole family

By Katie Herzogon Aug 16, 2016Share

Charles Koch may refuse to spend money on the Trump campaign but that doesn’t mean the Koch brothers are taking their $750 million ball and going home. In addition to spending on congressional elections, they’re also backing a new effort to rebrand fossil fuels. The Fueling U.S. Forward campaign launched Saturday at the 2016 RedState Gathering in Denver.

Fueling U.S. Forward, as DeSmog’s Sharon Kelly reports, is an attempt to change the conversation from the danger of fossil fuels to the benefits of them. Its website features young, attractive stock model families and tries to convey a message that burning oil, gas, and coal is “pro-human.”

The site does not, however, mention climate change, nor the fossil fuel industry’s role in it. And while Fueling U.S. Forward wants you to believe that the industry is an engine of economic activity, it also costs us dearly: The EPA estimates that the economic losses from drought and water shortages could be $180 billion by the end of the century — not to mention the overwhelming costs of deadly storms and food shortages. How’s that for pro-human?

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Koch bros want you to think fossil fuels are great for the whole family