Charles Koch Challenged To Debate Prop 23 By California Student Leader Joel Francis

onOct 21, 2010 @ 09:59 PDT

Joel Francis, a Marine Corps veteran and senior at Cal State Los Angeles, has issued a debate challenge to Koch Industries’ billionaire CEO Charles Koch on his support for the disastrous Prop 23 attack on California’s climate and clean energy progress.

Bankrolled with at least $1 million of Kochtopus funding, along with even larger amounts from Texas oil companies Valero Energy and Tesoro Corp. and Ohio-based Marathon Energy, Proposition 23 is on the ballot in California this November, and would set back California’s ambitious efforts to fight climate change and create clean energy jobs.

Student leader Joel Francis challenges Charles Koch to meet him “anytime, anywhere in the state before election day” to explain why Koch is meddling with democracy in a state he doesn’t even live in.

Watch Francis’ debate challenge to Charles Koch:

Francis vows to travel to Koch headquarters in Wichita, Kansas to re-issue the debate challenge in person to Charles Koch if he fails to respond by next Tuesday.

Student climate activists at POWER VOTE CA, a project of the California Student Sustainability Coalition, have issued a “No on 23” pledge for Californians to voice their opposition to this attack on California democracy by out of state oil interests.

Stay tuned for updates on whether Charles Koch accepts the challenge. As Francis says at the close of his video challenge, “you can’t possibly be afraid of just one college student.”

Or can he?

By Brendan DeMelle

Brendan is Executive Director of DeSmog. He is also a freelance writer and researcher specializing in media, politics, climate change and energy. His work has appeared in Vanity Fair, The Huffington Post, Grist, The Washington Times and other outlets.

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