Biden Defends Attending Fundraiser Co-Hosted By A Founder Of Fossil Fuel Company

Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden defended his decision to attend a fundraiser Thursday co-hosted by a founder of a liquefied natural gas company, saying he was still committed to the No Fossil Fuel Money Pledge despite criticisms from environmental groups.

I just want to be very clear to everyone here: I am committed to not raising money from fossil fuel executives, and I am not doing that tonight, Biden told a group of donors at the event in Manhattan on Thursday evening, according to a pool report. Climate change presents an existential threat, and it is real . Im so tired of having a president who picks fiction over science.

The former vice presidents comments came a day after he was asked by an audience member during CNN s climate change town hall event about his scheduled appearance, which was first reported by CNBC and The Intercept .

The fundraiser was co-hosted by Andrew Goldman, the co-founder of a Houston-based natural gas company called Western LNG. Goldman no longer has any day-to-day responsibilities at the company but is listed on Western LNGs leadership page . He also co-founded an investment group that funded projects related to natural resources and energy , in part.

Goldman has close ties to the Biden campaign and was an adviser to the candidate when he was in the Senate.

What I was told by my staff is he did not have any responsibility relating to the company, Biden said Wednesday when asked about his ties to Goldman. He was not on the board, he was not involved at all in the operation of the company at all. But if that turns out to be true, I will not in any way accept his help. We check every single contribution.

Biden signed the fossil fuel pledge in June, promising not to accept any campaign contributions over $200 from PACs, lobbyists or fossil fuel executives named by the Securities and Exchange Commission.

What @andersoncooper just said about VP Biden's fundraiser is factually incorrect. Andrew Goldman isn't a fossil fuel executive. He's not involved in the day to day operation. He's not on the board of the company, nor the board of the portfolio company.

Symone D. Sanders (@SymoneDSanders) September 5, 2019","type":"rich","meta":{"author":"Symone D. Sanders","author_url":"https://twitter.com/SymoneDSanders","cache_age":86400,"description":"What @andersoncooper just said about VP Biden's fundraiser is factually incorrect. Andrew Goldman isn't a fossil fuel executive. He's not involved in the day to day operation. He's not on the board of the company, nor the board of the portfolio company. Symone D. Sanders (@SymoneDSanders) September 5, 2019\n\n","provider_name":"Twitter","title":"Symone D. Sanders on Twitter","type":"rich","url":"https://twitter.com/SymoneDSanders/status/1169403850928902144","version":"1.0"},"flags":[],"fullBleed":false,"options":{"theme":"news","device":"mobile","editionInfo":{"id":"us","name":"U.S.","link":"https://action.news","locale":"en_US"},"originalEdition":"us","isMapi":false,"isAmp":false,"isVideoEntry":false,"isEntry":true,"isMt":false,"entryId":"5d71c61be4b0fd4168e8014f","entryPermalink":"https://action.news/entry/biden-defends-fundraiser-natural-gas-co-founder_n_5d71c61be4b0fd4168e8014f","entryTagsList":"joe-biden,2020-presidential-candidates,fundraiser,no-fossil-fuel-money-pledge","sectionSlug":"politics","deptSlug":"politics-news","sectionRedirectUrl":null,"subcategories":"green,us-news","isWide":false,"headerOverride":null,"noVideoAds":false,"disableFloat":false,"isNative":false,"commercialVideo":{"provider":"custom","site_and_category":"us.politics","package":null},"isHighline":false,"vidibleConfigValues":{"cid":"60afc111dcf87c2cd2f5d8bf","overrides":{"front_page_top_videos":{"desktop":"60b64354b171b7444beaff4d","mobileweb":"60b64354b171b7444beaff4d"},"top_media":{"desktop":"60b8e6bdc5449357a7ada147","mobile":"60b8e701c5449357a7ada2ee","iphone":"60b8e643cdd90620331bb1f6","ipad":"60b8e643cdd90620331bb1f6","androidphone":"60b8e699c5449357a7ada04c","androidtablet":"60b8e699c5449357a7ada04c"},"anthology":{"desktop":"60b8e616cdd90620331bb0ba","mobile":"60b8e671c5449357a7ad9f66","iphone":"60b8e643cdd90620331bb1f6","ipad":"60b8e643cdd90620331bb1f6","androidphone":"60b8e699c5449357a7ada04c","androidtablet":"60b8e699c5449357a7ada04c"},"content":{"desktop":"60b8e616cdd90620331bb0ba","mobile":"60b8e671c5449357a7ad9f66","iphone":"60b8e643cdd90620331bb1f6","ipad":"60b8e643cdd90620331bb1f6","androidphone":"60b8e699c5449357a7ada04c","androidtablet":"60b8e699c5449357a7ada04c"}},"playerUpdates":{"5668ae6ee4b0b5e26955d6a6":"60d2472d9340d7032ad7e443","56aa41bae4b091744c0440d8":"60e869dc7c5f3b17b6741b81","5841b2b5cc52c716ec6e5a7f":"60b8e355cdd90620331ba185","58b5e2b8d85a10302feee895":"60b64316b171b7444beafdb2","58b74698f78ced31417819ae":"60b8e5bec5449357a7ad9b52","58b74ccecebcea57e2c3a3d1":"60b8e5eac5449357a7ad9ca5","58cff690d85a100b9992bc39":"60b8e616cdd90620331bb0ba","58cffb3fb6d9b972a49a3c9d":"60b8e643cdd90620331bb1f6","58cffdd74d96935d7d6ec180":"60b8e671c5449357a7ad9f66","58d03a84f78ced6518eb2fa7":"60b643c82e76be41f112735c","592edf20e0fa177b0c26f7fd":"60b8e699c5449357a7ada04c","5b35266b158f855373e28256":"60b64354b171b7444beaff4d","5c116f29f79c4171d82b7c2a":"60b64440b171b7444beb040b","5c1170fc600c9a697bf0c6b9":"60b646102e76be41f1127ffc","5c47791afa1b317df8ae0c4f":"60b8e6bdc5449357a7ada147","5c477987a6b48b35f164773d":"60b8e701c5449357a7ada2ee","5c4779ee943c3c2a64f28371":"60b8e747cdd90620331bb861","5c477a26fcd67b26879bc7c2":"60b8e788c5449357a7ada67b","5d8921a78c3ae845f366c9b6":"60ae7be5f3a7c13a30417ff9","58b98b00ba82aa39a6534321":"60d0de7c9340d7032ad1146c","58b9d14cb6d9b96c9ec32af3":"60d0dec19340d7032ad115a0","58cff8eccebcea42931e0436":"60d0e005b627221e9d819d44","592edf5de0fa177b0c26f95b":"60d0e38fb627221e9d81adcf","58cff72fd85a100b9992c112":"60d0e447b627221e9d81b0da","56b4d34fe4b022697697c400":"60d2472d9340d7032ad7e443","60b8e4c0c5449357a7ad957d":"60e869dc7c5f3b17b6741b81"}},"connatixConfigValues":{"defaultPlayer":"ff7fdddc-5441-4253-abc4-f12a33fad58b","clickToPlayPlayer":"d014396e-b366-4c17-aeac-3ce906fa3fd0","videoPagePlayer":"f010447b-d244-4111-a314-7b4542ae4145","verticalPlayer":"e58cb05a-0bc8-4210-9108-fea82726c065","stickyPlayerControl":"52ea1755-d601-4ad1-bccc-d8cce3f0e5da","stickyPlayerON":"8055e9e5-3bda-4933-8d45-9ad814fb6e22"},"topConnatixThumnbailSrc":"data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAAEAAAABCAQAAAC1HAwCAAAAC0lEQVR42mNkYAAAAAYAAjCB0C8AAAAASUVORK5CYII=","customAmpComponents":[],"ampAssetsUrl":"https://amp.assets.huffpost.com","videoTraits":null,"positionInUnitCounts":{"buzz_head":{"count":0},"buzz_body":{"count":0},"buzz_bottom":{"count":0}},"positionInSubUnitCounts":{"article_body":{"count":11},"blog_summary":{"count":0},"before_you_go_content":{"count":0}},"connatixCountsHelper":{"count":1},"buzzfeedTracking":{"context_page_id":"5d71c61be4b0fd4168e8014f","context_page_type":"buzz","destination":"huffpost","mode":"mobile","page_edition":"en-us"},"tags":[{"name":"Joe Biden ","slug":"joe-biden","links":{"relativeLink":"topic/joe-biden","permalink":"https://action.news/topic/joe-biden","mobileWebLink":"https://action.news/topic/joe-biden"},"relegenceId":3519431,"department":{"name":"Latest News","slug":"politics-news"},"section":{"title":"Politics","slug":"politics"},"topic":{"title":"Joe Biden","slug":"joe-biden","overridesSectionLabel":false},"url":"https://action.news/news/topic/joe-biden"},{"name":"2020 presidential candidates","slug":"2020-presidential-candidates","links":{"relativeLink":"topic/2020-presidential-candidates","permalink":"https://action.news/topic/2020-presidential-candidates","mobileWebLink":"https://action.news/topic/2020-presidential-candidates"},"department":{"name":"Latest News","slug":"politics-news"},"section":{"title":"Politics","slug":"politics"},"topic":{"title":"2020 Election","slug":"2020-election","overridesSectionLabel":false},"url":"https://action.news/news/topic/2020-election"},{"name":"fundraiser ","slug":"fundraiser","links":{"relativeLink":"topic/fundraiser","permalink":"https://action.news/topic/fundraiser","mobileWebLink":"https://action.news/topic/fundraiser"},"url":"https://action.news/topic/fundraiser"},{"name":"no fossil fuel money pledge","slug":"no-fossil-fuel-money-pledge","links":{"relativeLink":"topic/no-fossil-fuel-money-pledge","permalink":"https://action.news/topic/no-fossil-fuel-money-pledge","mobileWebLink":"https://action.news/topic/no-fossil-fuel-money-pledge"},"url":"https://action.news/topic/no-fossil-fuel-money-pledge"}],"isLiveblogLive":null,"isLiveblog":false,"cetUnit":"buzz_body","bodyAds":["

\r\n\r\n","

\r\n\r\n"],"adCount":0},"isCollectionEmbed":false,"enhancements":{}}">

What @andersoncooper just said about VP Biden's fundraiser is factually incorrect. Andrew Goldman isn't a fossil fuel executive. He's not involved in the day to day operation. He's not on the board of the company, nor the board of the portfolio company.
Symone D. Sanders (@SymoneDSanders) September 5, 2019

The Biden campaign aggressively defended itself after the question made the rounds on social media, saying the characterization was factually incorrect and that he hadnt violated the pledge. Bidens team did not immediately respond to a request for comment on his remarks Thursday.

But, as HuffPosts Chris DAngelo noted this week, the argument about what constitutes an executive is largely semantic. The Sunrise Movement, a youth-led coalition of environmental activists who helped garner support for the Green New Deal, said Bidens engagement with Goldman clearly violates the spirit of the pledge.

The fundraiser on Thursday drew a small contingent of protesters who chanted No fossil fuel money! and Hey hey, hey, Joe, fracked gas has got to go.

Climate activists protesting on CPW at site where Joe Biden is believed to be attending a fundraiser co-hosted by the co-founder of a company in the natural gas industry, which they say violates a pledge not to take large donations from fossil-fuel industry. pic.twitter.com/yrwQXTnkD7

Anne Barnard (@ABarnardNYT) September 5, 2019","type":"rich","meta":{"author":"Anne Barnard","author_url":"https://twitter.com/ABarnardNYT","cache_age":86400,"description":"Climate activists protesting on CPW at site where Joe Biden is believed to be attending a fundraiser co-hosted by the co-founder of a company in the natural gas industry, which they say violates a pledge not to take large donations from fossil-fuel industry. pic.twitter.com/yrwQXTnkD7 Anne Barnard (@ABarnardNYT) September 5, 2019\n\n","options":{"_hide_media":{"label":"Hide photos, videos, and cards","value":false}},"provider_name":"Twitter","thumbnail_height":675,"thumbnail_url":"https://pbs.twimg.com/ext_tw_video_thumb/1169735487747166211/pu/img/2d2zlvCBVXt3zwTR.jpg","thumbnail_width":1200,"title":"Anne Barnard on Twitter","type":"rich","url":"https://twitter.com/ABarnardNYT/status/1169735822138060801","version":"1.0"},"flags":[],"fullBleed":false,"options":{"theme":"news","device":"mobile","editionInfo":{"id":"us","name":"U.S.","link":"https://action.news","locale":"en_US"},"originalEdition":"us","isMapi":false,"isAmp":false,"isVideoEntry":false,"isEntry":true,"isMt":false,"entryId":"5d71c61be4b0fd4168e8014f","entryPermalink":"https://action.news/entry/biden-defends-fundraiser-natural-gas-co-founder_n_5d71c61be4b0fd4168e8014f","entryTagsList":"joe-biden,2020-presidential-candidates,fundraiser,no-fossil-fuel-money-pledge","sectionSlug":"politics","deptSlug":"politics-news","sectionRedirectUrl":null,"subcategories":"green,us-news","isWide":false,"headerOverride":null,"noVideoAds":false,"disableFloat":false,"isNative":false,"commercialVideo":{"provider":"custom","site_and_category":"us.politics","package":null},"isHighline":false,"vidibleConfigValues":{"cid":"60afc111dcf87c2cd2f5d8bf","overrides":{"front_page_top_videos":{"desktop":"60b64354b171b7444beaff4d","mobileweb":"60b64354b171b7444beaff4d"},"top_media":{"desktop":"60b8e6bdc5449357a7ada147","mobile":"60b8e701c5449357a7ada2ee","iphone":"60b8e643cdd90620331bb1f6","ipad":"60b8e643cdd90620331bb1f6","androidphone":"60b8e699c5449357a7ada04c","androidtablet":"60b8e699c5449357a7ada04c"},"anthology":{"desktop":"60b8e616cdd90620331bb0ba","mobile":"60b8e671c5449357a7ad9f66","iphone":"60b8e643cdd90620331bb1f6","ipad":"60b8e643cdd90620331bb1f6","androidphone":"60b8e699c5449357a7ada04c","androidtablet":"60b8e699c5449357a7ada04c"},"content":{"desktop":"60b8e616cdd90620331bb0ba","mobile":"60b8e671c5449357a7ad9f66","iphone":"60b8e643cdd90620331bb1f6","ipad":"60b8e643cdd90620331bb1f6","androidphone":"60b8e699c5449357a7ada04c","androidtablet":"60b8e699c5449357a7ada04c"}},"playerUpdates":{"5668ae6ee4b0b5e26955d6a6":"60d2472d9340d7032ad7e443","56aa41bae4b091744c0440d8":"60e869dc7c5f3b17b6741b81","5841b2b5cc52c716ec6e5a7f":"60b8e355cdd90620331ba185","58b5e2b8d85a10302feee895":"60b64316b171b7444beafdb2","58b74698f78ced31417819ae":"60b8e5bec5449357a7ad9b52","58b74ccecebcea57e2c3a3d1":"60b8e5eac5449357a7ad9ca5","58cff690d85a100b9992bc39":"60b8e616cdd90620331bb0ba","58cffb3fb6d9b972a49a3c9d":"60b8e643cdd90620331bb1f6","58cffdd74d96935d7d6ec180":"60b8e671c5449357a7ad9f66","58d03a84f78ced6518eb2fa7":"60b643c82e76be41f112735c","592edf20e0fa177b0c26f7fd":"60b8e699c5449357a7ada04c","5b35266b158f855373e28256":"60b64354b171b7444beaff4d","5c116f29f79c4171d82b7c2a":"60b64440b171b7444beb040b","5c1170fc600c9a697bf0c6b9":"60b646102e76be41f1127ffc","5c47791afa1b317df8ae0c4f":"60b8e6bdc5449357a7ada147","5c477987a6b48b35f164773d":"60b8e701c5449357a7ada2ee","5c4779ee943c3c2a64f28371":"60b8e747cdd90620331bb861","5c477a26fcd67b26879bc7c2":"60b8e788c5449357a7ada67b","5d8921a78c3ae845f366c9b6":"60ae7be5f3a7c13a30417ff9","58b98b00ba82aa39a6534321":"60d0de7c9340d7032ad1146c","58b9d14cb6d9b96c9ec32af3":"60d0dec19340d7032ad115a0","58cff8eccebcea42931e0436":"60d0e005b627221e9d819d44","592edf5de0fa177b0c26f95b":"60d0e38fb627221e9d81adcf","58cff72fd85a100b9992c112":"60d0e447b627221e9d81b0da","56b4d34fe4b022697697c400":"60d2472d9340d7032ad7e443","60b8e4c0c5449357a7ad957d":"60e869dc7c5f3b17b6741b81"}},"connatixConfigValues":{"defaultPlayer":"ff7fdddc-5441-4253-abc4-f12a33fad58b","clickToPlayPlayer":"d014396e-b366-4c17-aeac-3ce906fa3fd0","videoPagePlayer":"f010447b-d244-4111-a314-7b4542ae4145","verticalPlayer":"e58cb05a-0bc8-4210-9108-fea82726c065","stickyPlayerControl":"52ea1755-d601-4ad1-bccc-d8cce3f0e5da","stickyPlayerON":"8055e9e5-3bda-4933-8d45-9ad814fb6e22"},"topConnatixThumnbailSrc":"data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAAEAAAABCAQAAAC1HAwCAAAAC0lEQVR42mNkYAAAAAYAAjCB0C8AAAAASUVORK5CYII=","customAmpComponents":[],"ampAssetsUrl":"https://amp.assets.huffpost.com","videoTraits":null,"positionInUnitCounts":{"buzz_head":{"count":0},"buzz_body":{"count":0},"buzz_bottom":{"count":0}},"positionInSubUnitCounts":{"article_body":{"count":11},"blog_summary":{"count":0},"before_you_go_content":{"count":0}},"connatixCountsHelper":{"count":1},"buzzfeedTracking":{"context_page_id":"5d71c61be4b0fd4168e8014f","context_page_type":"buzz","destination":"huffpost","mode":"mobile","page_edition":"en-us"},"tags":[{"name":"Joe Biden ","slug":"joe-biden","links":{"relativeLink":"topic/joe-biden","permalink":"https://action.news/topic/joe-biden","mobileWebLink":"https://action.news/topic/joe-biden"},"relegenceId":3519431,"department":{"name":"Latest News","slug":"politics-news"},"section":{"title":"Politics","slug":"politics"},"topic":{"title":"Joe Biden","slug":"joe-biden","overridesSectionLabel":false},"url":"https://action.news/news/topic/joe-biden"},{"name":"2020 presidential candidates","slug":"2020-presidential-candidates","links":{"relativeLink":"topic/2020-presidential-candidates","permalink":"https://action.news/topic/2020-presidential-candidates","mobileWebLink":"https://action.news/topic/2020-presidential-candidates"},"department":{"name":"Latest News","slug":"politics-news"},"section":{"title":"Politics","slug":"politics"},"topic":{"title":"2020 Election","slug":"2020-election","overridesSectionLabel":false},"url":"https://action.news/news/topic/2020-election"},{"name":"fundraiser ","slug":"fundraiser","links":{"relativeLink":"topic/fundraiser","permalink":"https://action.news/topic/fundraiser","mobileWebLink":"https://action.news/topic/fundraiser"},"url":"https://action.news/topic/fundraiser"},{"name":"no fossil fuel money pledge","slug":"no-fossil-fuel-money-pledge","links":{"relativeLink":"topic/no-fossil-fuel-money-pledge","permalink":"https://action.news/topic/no-fossil-fuel-money-pledge","mobileWebLink":"https://action.news/topic/no-fossil-fuel-money-pledge"},"url":"https://action.news/topic/no-fossil-fuel-money-pledge"}],"isLiveblogLive":null,"isLiveblog":false,"cetUnit":"buzz_body","bodyAds":["

\r\n\r\n","

\r\n\r\n"],"adCount":0},"isCollectionEmbed":false,"enhancements":{}}">

Climate activists protesting on CPW at site where Joe Biden is believed to be attending a fundraiser co-hosted by the co-founder of a company in the natural gas industry, which they say violates a pledge not to take large donations from fossil-fuel industry. pic.twitter.com/yrwQXTnkD7
Anne Barnard (@ABarnardNYT) September 5, 2019

Let's be clear. The rules of the #NoFossilFuelMoney pledge are there to help candidates stay in compliance. They are *NOT* there to help candidates weasel out of it. This from @JoeBiden at #ClimateTownHall feels very much like that latter. And that's...not a good look.

David Turnbull (@david_turnbull) September 5, 2019","type":"rich","meta":{"author":"David Turnbull","author_url":"https://twitter.com/david_turnbull","cache_age":86400,"description":"Let's be clear. The rules of the #NoFossilFuelMoney pledge are there to help candidates stay in compliance. They are *NOT* there to help candidates weasel out of it. This from @JoeBiden at #ClimateTownHall feels very much like that latter. And that's...not a good look. David Turnbull (@david_turnbull) September 5, 2019\n\n","options":{"_hide_thread":{"label":"Hide previous Tweet in conversation thread","value":true}},"provider_name":"Twitter","title":"David Turnbull on Twitter","type":"rich","url":"https://twitter.com/david_turnbull/status/1169406442538799104","version":"1.0"},"flags":[],"fullBleed":false,"options":{"theme":"news","device":"mobile","editionInfo":{"id":"us","name":"U.S.","link":"https://action.news","locale":"en_US"},"originalEdition":"us","isMapi":false,"isAmp":false,"isVideoEntry":false,"isEntry":true,"isMt":false,"entryId":"5d71c61be4b0fd4168e8014f","entryPermalink":"https://action.news/entry/biden-defends-fundraiser-natural-gas-co-founder_n_5d71c61be4b0fd4168e8014f","entryTagsList":"joe-biden,2020-presidential-candidates,fundraiser,no-fossil-fuel-money-pledge","sectionSlug":"politics","deptSlug":"politics-news","sectionRedirectUrl":null,"subcategories":"green,us-news","isWide":false,"headerOverride":null,"noVideoAds":false,"disableFloat":false,"isNative":false,"commercialVideo":{"provider":"custom","site_and_category":"us.politics","package":null},"isHighline":false,"vidibleConfigValues":{"cid":"60afc111dcf87c2cd2f5d8bf","overrides":{"front_page_top_videos":{"desktop":"60b64354b171b7444beaff4d","mobileweb":"60b64354b171b7444beaff4d"},"top_media":{"desktop":"60b8e6bdc5449357a7ada147","mobile":"60b8e701c5449357a7ada2ee","iphone":"60b8e643cdd90620331bb1f6","ipad":"60b8e643cdd90620331bb1f6","androidphone":"60b8e699c5449357a7ada04c","androidtablet":"60b8e699c5449357a7ada04c"},"anthology":{"desktop":"60b8e616cdd90620331bb0ba","mobile":"60b8e671c5449357a7ad9f66","iphone":"60b8e643cdd90620331bb1f6","ipad":"60b8e643cdd90620331bb1f6","androidphone":"60b8e699c5449357a7ada04c","androidtablet":"60b8e699c5449357a7ada04c"},"content":{"desktop":"60b8e616cdd90620331bb0ba","mobile":"60b8e671c5449357a7ad9f66","iphone":"60b8e643cdd90620331bb1f6","ipad":"60b8e643cdd90620331bb1f6","androidphone":"60b8e699c5449357a7ada04c","androidtablet":"60b8e699c5449357a7ada04c"}},"playerUpdates":{"5668ae6ee4b0b5e26955d6a6":"60d2472d9340d7032ad7e443","56aa41bae4b091744c0440d8":"60e869dc7c5f3b17b6741b81","5841b2b5cc52c716ec6e5a7f":"60b8e355cdd90620331ba185","58b5e2b8d85a10302feee895":"60b64316b171b7444beafdb2","58b74698f78ced31417819ae":"60b8e5bec5449357a7ad9b52","58b74ccecebcea57e2c3a3d1":"60b8e5eac5449357a7ad9ca5","58cff690d85a100b9992bc39":"60b8e616cdd90620331bb0ba","58cffb3fb6d9b972a49a3c9d":"60b8e643cdd90620331bb1f6","58cffdd74d96935d7d6ec180":"60b8e671c5449357a7ad9f66","58d03a84f78ced6518eb2fa7":"60b643c82e76be41f112735c","592edf20e0fa177b0c26f7fd":"60b8e699c5449357a7ada04c","5b35266b158f855373e28256":"60b64354b171b7444beaff4d","5c116f29f79c4171d82b7c2a":"60b64440b171b7444beb040b","5c1170fc600c9a697bf0c6b9":"60b646102e76be41f1127ffc","5c47791afa1b317df8ae0c4f":"60b8e6bdc5449357a7ada147","5c477987a6b48b35f164773d":"60b8e701c5449357a7ada2ee","5c4779ee943c3c2a64f28371":"60b8e747cdd90620331bb861","5c477a26fcd67b26879bc7c2":"60b8e788c5449357a7ada67b","5d8921a78c3ae845f366c9b6":"60ae7be5f3a7c13a30417ff9","58b98b00ba82aa39a6534321":"60d0de7c9340d7032ad1146c","58b9d14cb6d9b96c9ec32af3":"60d0dec19340d7032ad115a0","58cff8eccebcea42931e0436":"60d0e005b627221e9d819d44","592edf5de0fa177b0c26f95b":"60d0e38fb627221e9d81adcf","58cff72fd85a100b9992c112":"60d0e447b627221e9d81b0da","56b4d34fe4b022697697c400":"60d2472d9340d7032ad7e443","60b8e4c0c5449357a7ad957d":"60e869dc7c5f3b17b6741b81"}},"connatixConfigValues":{"defaultPlayer":"ff7fdddc-5441-4253-abc4-f12a33fad58b","clickToPlayPlayer":"d014396e-b366-4c17-aeac-3ce906fa3fd0","videoPagePlayer":"f010447b-d244-4111-a314-7b4542ae4145","verticalPlayer":"e58cb05a-0bc8-4210-9108-fea82726c065","stickyPlayerControl":"52ea1755-d601-4ad1-bccc-d8cce3f0e5da","stickyPlayerON":"8055e9e5-3bda-4933-8d45-9ad814fb6e22"},"topConnatixThumnbailSrc":"data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAAEAAAABCAQAAAC1HAwCAAAAC0lEQVR42mNkYAAAAAYAAjCB0C8AAAAASUVORK5CYII=","customAmpComponents":[],"ampAssetsUrl":"https://amp.assets.huffpost.com","videoTraits":null,"positionInUnitCounts":{"buzz_head":{"count":0},"buzz_body":{"count":0},"buzz_bottom":{"count":0}},"positionInSubUnitCounts":{"article_body":{"count":11},"blog_summary":{"count":0},"before_you_go_content":{"count":0}},"connatixCountsHelper":{"count":1},"buzzfeedTracking":{"context_page_id":"5d71c61be4b0fd4168e8014f","context_page_type":"buzz","destination":"huffpost","mode":"mobile","page_edition":"en-us"},"tags":[{"name":"Joe Biden ","slug":"joe-biden","links":{"relativeLink":"topic/joe-biden","permalink":"https://action.news/topic/joe-biden","mobileWebLink":"https://action.news/topic/joe-biden"},"relegenceId":3519431,"department":{"name":"Latest News","slug":"politics-news"},"section":{"title":"Politics","slug":"politics"},"topic":{"title":"Joe Biden","slug":"joe-biden","overridesSectionLabel":false},"url":"https://action.news/news/topic/joe-biden"},{"name":"2020 presidential candidates","slug":"2020-presidential-candidates","links":{"relativeLink":"topic/2020-presidential-candidates","permalink":"https://action.news/topic/2020-presidential-candidates","mobileWebLink":"https://action.news/topic/2020-presidential-candidates"},"department":{"name":"Latest News","slug":"politics-news"},"section":{"title":"Politics","slug":"politics"},"topic":{"title":"2020 Election","slug":"2020-election","overridesSectionLabel":false},"url":"https://action.news/news/topic/2020-election"},{"name":"fundraiser ","slug":"fundraiser","links":{"relativeLink":"topic/fundraiser","permalink":"https://action.news/topic/fundraiser","mobileWebLink":"https://action.news/topic/fundraiser"},"url":"https://action.news/topic/fundraiser"},{"name":"no fossil fuel money pledge","slug":"no-fossil-fuel-money-pledge","links":{"relativeLink":"topic/no-fossil-fuel-money-pledge","permalink":"https://action.news/topic/no-fossil-fuel-money-pledge","mobileWebLink":"https://action.news/topic/no-fossil-fuel-money-pledge"},"url":"https://action.news/topic/no-fossil-fuel-money-pledge"}],"isLiveblogLive":null,"isLiveblog":false,"cetUnit":"buzz_body","bodyAds":["

\r\n\r\n","

\r\n\r\n"],"adCount":0},"isCollectionEmbed":false,"enhancements":{}}">

Let's be clear. The rules of the #NoFossilFuelMoney pledge are there to help candidates stay in compliance. They are *NOT* there to help candidates weasel out of it. This from @JoeBiden at #ClimateTownHall feels very much like that latter. And that's...not a good look.
David Turnbull (@david_turnbull) September 5, 2019

Climate change has become one of the key issues of the 2020 presidential race, and many of the Democratic candidates have unveiled detailed, trillion-dollar plans to address the crisis should they unseat President Donald Trump . Biden initially faced criticism amid reports that he was planning to unveil a middle ground approach to the issue but responded with his own policy based on the Green New Deal that would decarbonize the U.S. economy by 2050.

Your Support Has Never Been More Critical

Other news outlets have retreated behind paywalls. At HuffPost, we believe journalism should be free for everyone.

Would you help us provide essential information to our readers during this critical time? We can't do it without you.

Can't afford to contribute? Support HuffPost by creating a free account and log in while you read.

You've supported HuffPost before, and we'll be honest we could use your help again . We view our mission to provide free, fair news as critically important in this crucial moment, and we can't do it without you.

Whether you give once or many more times, we appreciate your contribution to keeping our journalism free for all.

Whether you give just one more time or sign up again to contribute regularly, we appreciate you playing a part in keeping our journalism free for all.

Support HuffPost

Bidens plan only addresses fossil fuels in vague terms, but he has received a B+ rating from Greenpeace and support from 350 Action and Data for Progress for his stance on climate issues.