Build Back Fossil Free (BBFF) is a far-left coalition of more than 200 groups aiming to persuade President Joe Biden to eliminate conventional energy use and radically alter the U.S. energy industry through a series of executive orders. BBFF is a project of the Sustainable Markets Foundation. ¹

Advocacy for Executive Orders

Build Back Fossil Free advocates for President Joe Biden to sign 25 executive orders to radically change the economy. As of October 2021, according to BBFF, President Biden has signed executive orders that partially fulfilled ten recommendations, including a moratorium on leasing federal land for fossil fuel extraction, revoking the permit for the Keystone XL pipeline, the creation of a White House Office of Domestic Climate Policy, and re-entering the Paris Climate Accords. ²

BBFF’s other executive order recommendations include declaring a “national emergency on the climate crisis,” creating a “No Hotspots” policy that creates zones (particularly targeting non-white populations) where certain pollutants are illegal, establishing a committee to assess the “impacts of colonization” on Native Americans, banning fuel exports, and using the Defense Production Act to drive weather-dependent energy production. ³

Washington D.C. Protests

From October 10 through October 15, 2021, Build Back Fossil Free organized the “People vs. Fossil Fuel: Biden’s Test” protest in Washington D.C. The protest, which was attended by a reported 655 individuals, was launched weeks before President Joe Biden and 13 cabinet members from his administration were to attend a United Nations climate summit in Glasgow, Scotland. The protesters focused on stopping conventional energy exploration, water contamination, and sexual assaults allegedly connected to the energy industry. ^{4 5} Stages of the protest included linking arms outside the White House, climbing a flagpole in front of the headquarters of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, and defacing a statue of President Andrew Jackson in Lafayette Park. ⁶

On October 14, over 100 protesters were arrested after storming the U.S. Department of the Interior and staging a sit-in. Security guards from the Federal Protective Service “clashed” with protesters outside the building but were unable to stop them from entering. Once inside, numerous warnings were issued before the guards began forcibly removing and arresting the protesters. Multiple injuries were sustained by security guards, and one was transferred to the hospital. The protesters alleged the guards “acted aggressively” with their use of batons and stun guns. ^{7 8}

Fifty-five protesters, self-designated as “water protectors,” were arrested while breaking into the U.S. Bureau of Indian Affairs, which the protesters seek to abolish for allegedly perpetrating genocide against Native Americans. The protesters also demanded the return of 110 million acres to sovereign Native American tribal control. ⁹

A contingent of the protest led by Extinction Rebellion, which included spraying the U.S. Chamber of Commerce with fake oil, resulted in 300 arrests. ¹⁰

According to the left-wing media outlet Democracy Now, over 530 individuals were arrested in Washington D.C. throughout the five days of demonstrations. ¹¹

Steering Committee

Build Back Fossil Free’s steering committee consists of left-progressive environmentalist and indigenous organizations including Action Center on Race and the Economy, Bold Alliance, Carrizo Comecrudo Tribe of Texas, Center for Biological Diversity, Cheyanne River Grassroots Collective, Food and Water Watch, Friends of the Earth, Green Faith, Greenpeace, Indigenous Environmental Network, Movement Rights, Oil Change International, the Port Arthur Community Action Network, Pueblo Action Alliance, Rise St. James, and Sovereign Inupiat for a Living Arctic. ¹²

1. “‘People vs. Fossil Fuels’: Over 530 Arrested in Historic Indigenous-Led Climate Protests in D.C.” Democracy Now! October 15, 2021. Accessed October 19, 2021. https://www.democracynow.org/2021/10/15/indigenous_led_protests_in_dc_demand.
2. “Biden’s Executive Action Blueprint.” Build Back Fossil Fuel Free. Accessed October 19, 2021. https://buildbackfossilfree.org/biden-executive-action-blueprint/.
3. “Biden’s Executive Action Blueprint.” Build Back Fossil Fuel Free. Accessed October 19, 2021. https://buildbackfossilfree.org/biden-executive-action-blueprint/.
4. “Build Back Fossil Free.” The Urban News. October 11, 2021. Accessed October 19, 2021. https://theurbannews.com/latest-news/2021/build-back-fossil-free/.
5. Yoder, Kate. “Two years and a pandemic later, climate protests return to Washington.” Grist. October 18, 2021. Accessed October 19, 2021. https://grist.org/protest/indigenous-climate-protests-against-fossil-fuels-biden-pandemic/.
6. Klapper, Rebecca. “Over 100 Arrested During Climate Protest at Interior Department, Some Reportedly Tased.” Newsweek. October 15, 2021. Accessed October 19, 2021. https://www.newsweek.com/over-100-arrested-during-climate-protest-interior-department-some-reportedly-tased-1639484.
7. Vakil, Caroline. “Protesters arrested after sit-in at Interior Department.” The Hill. October 15, 2021. Accessed October 19, 2021. https://thehill.com/policy/energy-environment/576934-protesters-arrested-after-sit-in-at-interior-department.
8. Klapper, Rebecca. “Over 100 Arrested During Climate Protest at Interior Department, Some Reportedly Tased.” Newsweek. October 15, 2021. Accessed October 19, 2021. https://www.newsweek.com/over-100-arrested-during-climate-protest-interior-department-some-reportedly-tased-1639484.
9. “‘People vs. Fossil Fuels’: Over 530 Arrested in Historic Indigenous-Led Climate Protests in D.C.” Democracy Now! October 15, 2021. Accessed October 19, 2021. https://www.democracynow.org/2021/10/15/indigenous_led_protests_in_dc_demand.
10. Hartner, Zeke. “Hundreds arrested during ongoing climate protests around DC.” WTOP News. October 14, 2021. Accessed October 19, 2021. https://wtop.com/dc/2021/10/hundreds-arrested-during-ongoing-climate-protests-around-dc/.
11. ^[1] “‘People vs. Fossil Fuels’: Over 530 Arrested in Historic Indigenous-Led Climate Protests in D.C.” Democracy Now! October 15, 2021. Accessed October 19, 2021. https://www.democracynow.org/2021/10/15/indigenous_led_protests_in_dc_demand.
12. “Steering Committee.” Build Black Fossil Free. Accessed October 19, 2021. https://buildbackfossilfree.org/#about.