Oil and Gas Action Network

Background

The Oil and Gas Action Network is headed by professional protest organizers from several large radical environmentalist groups. Executive director Matt Leonard spent nine years as a protest organizer for 350.org. Leonard also worked as a protest trainer and organizer for Greenpeace, Rainforest Action Network, and Ruckus Society. ^{2 3} Leonard was also involved in organizing the Tar Sands Action protests against the Keystone XL pipeline. ⁴

Director Scott Parkin also has over a decade of experience organizing protests for Rainforest Action Network. Parkin has organized “direct action” protests in North America, Europe, and Australia for various climate change-related causes, including protests against the Keystone XL pipeline. Parkin also organizes protests for Rising Tide North America and claims to have been part of a West Virginia protest led by James Hansen in which Hansen and 30 others were arrested. Parkins is married to Nicky Davies, who works as secretary for the Oil and Gas Action network. Davies also serves as executive director for Plastic Solutions Fund and spent over a decade as a campaign director for Greenpeace. ^{2 5 6}

Director Paul Paz y Mino has been campaign organizer for various left-of-center organizations since the 1990s, including Amnesty International USA and Amazon Watch. ⁷

The Oil and Gas Action Network director Rae Breaux served as a climate protest organizer with People’s Action and Center for Story-Based Strategy. Breaux was also involved in organizing protests against the Keystone XL pipeline for 350.org. ^{2 8 9}

Activities

The primary activities of the Oil and Gas Action Network are organizing climate change-related protests and training environmentalist activists. The organization claims to have trained 5,000 activists, supported 200 protest events, and built 30 “allied projects.” ¹

The Oil and Gas Action Network regularly organizes protests at the California State Capitol to demand passage of legislation targeting the conventional energy industry. ¹⁰ The organization also co-organizes larger protests around the country, including the March To End Fossil Fuels in 2023 in which activists in New York demanded that the Biden administration declare a climate emergency and fully phase out conventional energy by 2030. ¹¹

In 2024, the Oil and Gas Action Network organized pro-Palestinian protests against Chevron at the company’s headquarters in San Ramon, California. The protesters demanded that Chevron divest from its operations in Israel. The Oil and Gas Action Network executive director Matt Leonard gave a statement at the event saying, “Chevron is literally fueling the genocide being waged against Palestinians.” ¹²

Financials

The Oil and Gas Action Network’s revenue increased dramatically from 2021 to 2022, with reported contributions increasing from $202,963 to $1,516,865 year over year. ^{13 2}

The Oil and Gas Action Network received $425,000 in contributions from the Schmidt Family Foundation between 2019 and 2022. ^{14 15 16} The organization also received $45,000 from the Arca Foundation and $50,000 from the Winslow Foundation during this time period. ^{17 18 19}

The Oil and Gas Action Network also issues grants to other radical left-wing groups. In 2022, the organization contributed $15,200 to For All and $47,500 to Our Revolution. The organization also reported a $30,000 wire transfer to Europe in 2022 for the purpose of “climate campaign.” ²