Bloomberg 2020? America’s Energy Workers Better Hope Not

October 10, 2018

Mike Bloomberg is back in the headlines today, surprising absolutely no one with an Instagram post documenting his official re-registration as a member of the Democratic Party. It’s his annual “will he or won’t he” presidential dance, and Mayor Mike knows he needs to stay relevant to have a shot in the rambunctious and ever-growing field of presidential wannabes.

One way Bloomberg has stayed in the conversation is by showering liberals with campaign cash. He has pledged $20 million dollars to help Democrats win back the Senate, after promising a whopping $80 million for their counterparts in the House.

Less headline-grabbing but of equal importance is Bloomberg’s underwriting of extreme environmental groups.  In 2017, Bloomberg donated $64 million to environmental groups bent on destroying coal workers’ way of life:

The funding includes $30 million to support the Sierra Club’s Beyond Coal campaign through 2020 as well as funding for other groups like the League of Conservation Voters to help speed the transition to clean energy sources on the state and local level. “These are the groups that are fighting the war on coal, and it’s happening all across America,” Bloomberg said.

America’s Pledge, an initiative run by Bloomberg Philanthropies has committed to “accelerate the retirement of coal.”  And the coal mining families in West Virginia? Guess they can take a hike into the Appalachian Mountains. As you’d expect, American Pledge is also advocating for job-killing cap-and-trade policies and carbon taxes as well.

So while Bloomberg’s official party affiliation may change to suit his political needs, his far-left agenda has remained consistent regardless of the letter after his name. Bloomberg wants to push the left even further to the extreme fringe on energy issues, intensifying his war on workers in the oil, gas, and coal industries. That may warm the hearts of his fellow liberals in New York City and San Francisco, but will leave America’s energy workers out in the cold.