Sen. Bernie Sanders on Thursday reiterated his call for the Biden Justice Department to take legal action against the fossil fuel industry, arguing that oil companies have violated a range of federal laws in their campaigns to mislead the public about climate change.
“Like the tobacco industry before them, the fossil fuel companies’ actions represent a clear violation of federal racketeering laws, truth in advertising laws, consumer protection laws, and potentially other laws,” Sanders (I-Vt.) wrote in an op-ed for MSNBC. “The Justice Department must hold them accountable.”
Earlier this week, Sanders and three of his progressive Senate colleagues sent a letter to U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland urging him to follow in the footsteps of the more than 40 U.S. cities and states that have sued the fossil fuel industry in recent years over its role in the climate crisis and its decadeslong misinformation effort, which is still ongoing.
In his op-ed on Thursday, Sanders wrote that “the Justice Department must join the fight and work with partners at the Federal Trade Commission and other law enforcement agencies to file suits against all those who participated in the fossil fuel industry’s conspiracy of lies and deception.”
“The fossil fuel industry must begin to pay for the extraordinary damage it has caused and continues to cause every day,” Sanders added. “Climate change is an existential threat to every person on Earth. At every level, in every country, we must work together to save the planet for our kids and future generations. And those most responsible for this global crisis must finally be held accountable.”…
After the truth-shower 