No penalty for pollution? We can fix that.

When an oil company is responsible for spills, they need to be responsible for cleaning them up.

But right now, some aren't. There's currently a massive loophole for tar sands oils, one of the dirtiest forms of oil, to let these polluters off the hook.

This can't stand, which is why I partnered with the architect of the Green New Deal, Senator Ed Markey, to write a law to make polluters pay. It's called the Tar Sands Tax Loophole Elimination Act.

The basics are deep in the pages of decades-old tax law that isn't keeping up with the realities of the oil industry. But the big idea is really quite simple: oil companies working tar sands should be responsible to clean up their fair share of oil spills they cause.

Closing this loophole will free up hundreds of millions of dollars to hold these companies accountable for spills.

Of course, it's beyond time to move away from fossil fuels. But for now, while these companies are still operating, they need to be responsible for the awful messes they tend to make. And, in truth, it's corporate favors like this loophole that have allowed Big Oil to maintain the fiction that they're "cost effective."

So, let's review the steps. Number one: make polluters pay their fair share for the messes they make. Number two: move us away from fossil fuels, to renewable, greener, and cleaner energy sources.

I'm going to be working with leaders in both the House and the Senate to get this done in 2021, because we can't wait any longer to take action in cases like these.

Courage,

Earl