FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 2, 2025
Fairbanks Climate Action Coalition Responds to the Budget Reconciliation Bill Passage
Local Alaskan environmental group calls out corporate greed amidst bill passage
As Alaskans, we value taking care of our communities and we believe in everyone having the opportunity to build a good life here for our families. When we elect leaders, we do so with the hope that they will uphold those same values. Yesterday, our leaders failed us.
When Senators Dan Sullivan and Lisa Murkowski voted “yes” on the budget reconciliation bill, they knew they were voting for a deeply unpopular bill that would hurt Alaskans. Why would they take such a big political risk by voting for a bill that would gut healthcare for thousands of Alaskans, likely closing medical facilities in small communities including Ketchikan, Cordova, and Palmer? Why would they roll back clean energy projects that are critical to stabilizing our rapidly increasing utility bills? Why would Murkowski seem so pained by her decision to vote for the bill, when she could have just as easily voted “no?’ Because for both Senators, their reelection campaigns depend more on the bribes they take from oil and gas corporations than they do on the esteem of actual Alaskan voters.
This legislation adds $18.5 billion in tax incentives for the fossil fuel industry, and $170 billion in additional subsidies for fossil fuel companies. At the same time, the bill blocks the expansion of clean energy projects, which will increase energy bills by an estimated 30% across the country. Right now, when Alaskans are facing an increasingly dire energy shortage on top of already sky-high utility bills, it’s clear who these “public servants” actually serve: fossil fuel executives.
Every day of this presidential administration, the oligarchy has made itself more visible, and now the corporate greed is on clear display. Our Alaskan politicians have been bought and paid for by fossil fuel executives and other greedy billionaires. And now, in passing this blatantly harmful legislation, they are risking a key pillar of their power - the working class - who are seeing in stark clarity the reality that these politicians do not represent us.
As more and more Alaskans recognize this truth, we stand together in a coalition of everyday working families who will hold our leaders accountable - and every day, our coalition grows. We have already seen how the many can defeat the money when we stand together. The climate wins we’ve gained over the last decade have been brought about by a vast coalition of people across races, places and ages - and we’re not done yet.
We call on all Alaskans, rural and urban, no matter who you voted for - to demand more from our elected leaders than shameful corporate giveaways at the expense of our health and futures.
Says Sarah Furman, Co-Executive Director of Fairbanks Climate Action Coalition: “Yesterday, our legislators chose billionaires and the fossil fuel industry over Alaskans. As they pledge their allegiance to corporate polluters, we deepen our pledge to taking care of our communities and the lands and waters we depend upon, no matter how much greed and corruption we face.”
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Fairbanks Climate Action Coalition is a grassroots climate justice organization that mobilizes Fairbanks & Interior Alaska communities toward action to mitigate and adapt to climate change. We seek to elevate climate solutions and foster a fair, equitable, & just transition to sustainable communities — locally, regionally and globally.