Koch-funded Fueling U.S. Forward President Calls Fossil Fuels “Sustainable”

onOct 6, 2016 @ 12:51 PDT

While Charles Drevna was unveiling the Koch-funded Fueling U.S. Forward campaign to attendees at the Red State Gathering, he used a curious term to describe nonrenewable resources with limited reserves and wide-reaching environment impacts:

“We need a sustainable energy to ensure the future of the country. Folks, that’s of course the fossil fuels.”

As Sharon Kelly reported first for DeSmog, Drevna then proceeded to refer to fossil fuels as “reliable, abundant, efficient and sustainable fuels.”

The rhetoric provides a glimpse of how Fueling U.S. Forward organizers hope to “rebrand” oil and gas in their effort to bolster public opinion of the fossil fuels. Stay tuned to KochvsClean.com as we track the Koch-backed efforts and counter the fossil-funded PR campaign.

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By Ben Jervey

Ben Jervey is a Senior Fellow for DeSmog and directs the KochvsClean.com project. He is a freelance writer, editor, and researcher, specializing in climate change and energy systems and policy. Ben is also a Research Fellow at the Institute for Energy and the Environment at Vermont Law School. He was the original Environment Editor for GOOD Magazine, and wrote a longstanding weekly column titled “The New Ideal: Building the clean energy economy of the 21st Century and avoiding the worst fates of climate change.” He has also contributed regularly to National Geographic News, Grist, and OnEarth Magazine. He has published three books—on eco-friendly living in New York City, an Energy 101 primer, and, most recently, “The Electric Battery: Charging Forward to a Low Carbon Future.” He graduated with a BA in Environmental Studies from Middlebury College, and earned a Master’s in Energy Regulation and Law at Vermont Law School. A bicycle enthusiast, Ben has ridden across the United States and through much of Europe.

Amsterdam Defies Last-Minute Lobbying to Become First Capital City to Ban Fossil Fuel Ads

ByEllen Ormesher

onJan 23, 2026 @ 09:43 PST

The world’s largest outdoor advertising company warned city councillors of “far-reaching consequences” hours before the landmark vote.

After Decades of Deflection, ExxonMobil Moves to Reshape Global Climate Accounting

BySharon Kelly

onJan 23, 2026 @ 09:12 PST

For decades, ExxonMobil argued consumers, not oil giants, should take responsibility for fossil fuel pollution. It’s now backing Carbon Measures’ accounting scheme, which moves pollution “liabilities” to buyers’ books.