Energy advocates are criticizing Vice President Kamala Harris for appointing a top campaign adviser with ties to a controversial environmental group that led efforts to ban gas stoves.
“This is sadly the par for the course,” OH Skinner, executive director of the nonprofit Alliance for Consumers, told Fox News Digital.
“For years, the left has focused on attacking consumers and the things they have in their homes, including numerous Biden-Harris regulations and orders,” he said. “From ‘green’ regulations on dishwashers and washing machines to EV mandates and gas stove bans, the Harris-Walz administration will undoubtedly continue to eliminate consumer choice and put Americans at risk for everyday products and appliances that do them worse. “It will force you to pay more.”
America’s energy production is a key issue in this election, especially in Pennsylvania, the largest swing state. The Harris campaign suggested to energy producers and consumers that her administration would not ban fracking but would reduce energy production costs while investing in clean energy solutions.
Republicans warn that 96% of gas stoves will be banned under Biden administration rules
Vice President Kamala Harris (right) and new Climate Engagement Director Camila Thorndike. (Getty Images)
But conservatives are targeting Camila Thorndike, who previously worked for the dark money climate activist group Rewiring America, for hiring her as the campaign’s “climate engagement director.” According to his Legistorm profile, Updike held several positions at Rewiring America from late 2022 until last month before joining the campaign in September.
Rewiring America is an environmental advocacy group that made headlines in 2022 for its push to ban gas stoves.
The group does not file federal tax forms because it is sponsored by the Windward Fund, a nonprofit organization. A multi-billion dollar dark money network It is managed by Arabella Advisors, based in Washington, DC.
The only public donation to Rewiring America is a 2020 grant worth $300,000 from the left-wing nonprofit Rockefeller Brothers Fund.
The group was founded in 2020 by Alex Laskey, Saul Griffith, and Ari Matusiak. All three founders have pursued a variety of wind, solar, electrification and energy efficiency ventures, some of which have earned multi-million dollar buyouts or received significant federal funding. They have simultaneously advocated for policies that benefit those ventures through non-profit organizations.
BIDEN-HARRIS STILL HATES STOPS. How incredible it will be.
Among its main goals, Rewiring America has argued that Americans should widely electrify their homes to combat climate change and has advocated for massive spending on climate programs.
In an October interview with Politico, Thorndike said hurricanes Helene and Milton were caused by climate change. She told Politico that Harris “is not encouraging the expansion of (fossil fuel drilling).” Despite Harris repeatedly supporting a hydraulic fracturing ban during her failed 2019 presidential campaign, she has said only that she will not ban fracking.
Camila Thorndike, policy program director at the nonprofit climate group Rewiring America, is one of a growing number of people who are starting to consider climate change when deciding whether to have children, Washington, D.C., November 7, 2022. (Jahi Chikwendiu)
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Climate advisor accuses oil and gas industry of ‘ecoterrorism’, urges Americans working in fossil fuel industries to ‘consider putting their talents elsewhere’ and stop ‘continuing to cook the planet’ Controversy I have been making controversial statements for a long time. According to a recent Washington Free Beacon report.
She has also previously said she is hesitant to have children because of the threat of climate change, calling it “an ethical question that keeps me up at night.”
Jason Isaac, a former Texas representative and CEO of the American Energy Institute, told Fox News Digital that Harris’ decision to bring in Thorndike was “a boost to our economy.” “It highlights her administration’s hostility to America’s energy sources that support millions of jobs.”
“If her campaign staff is any indication, we can expect Harris to continue to push policies that harm America’s energy independence and target the livelihoods of countless workers,” he said. “This isn’t just about gas stoves. It’s a concerted effort to undermine the affordable, reliable energy Americans depend on.”
Rewiring America did not respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
Fox News’ Thomas Catenacci and Aubrie Spady contributed to this report.
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