Oil Change International

Oil Change USA is the advocacy arm of Oil Change International.

Background

Oil Change International was founded in 2005 by Stephen Kretzmann. The organization’s work involves the process of estimating the environmental damages caused by traditional energy and working to shut the industry down. Oil Change International has claimed in their research that “gas is dirty, expensive and unnecessary.” ² The group further calls for the U.S. to spend government money to research projects to replace conventional energy with environmentalist-approved sources and stopping further permits on oil expansion. The group supports the climate goals in the Paris Agreement. ³

In its Energy Transitions and Futures program, Oil Change International releases reports on climate conditions to demand the decline of the oil infrastructure across the world. ⁴

Oil Change International has a separate program on the gas industry that focuses on creating reports to demand the halt of the expansion of the gas industry. ⁵

Opposition to Nuclear Energy

In May of 2021, Oil Change was one of 715 groups and businesses listed as a co-signer on a letter to the leadership of the U.S. House and Senate that referred to nuclear energy as a “dirty” form of energy production and a “significant” source of pollution. The letter asked federal lawmakers to reduce carbon emissions by creating a “renewable electricity standard” that promoted production of weather dependent power sources such as wind turbines and solar panels, but did not promote low carbon natural gas and zero carbon nuclear energy. ¹

Nuclear power plants produce no carbon dioxide or other greenhouse gas emissions, and as of 2021 accounted for 19 percent of American electricity production—the largest source of zero carbon electricity in the United States. ⁶ An October 2018 proposal from The Nature Conservancy noted that zero-carbon nuclear plants produced 7.8 percent of total world energy output and recommended reducing carbon emissions by increasing nuclear capacity to 33 percent of total world energy output. ⁷

Funding

A number of prominent left-of-center funders contribute to Oil Change International to promote environmental-oriented projects.

444S Foundation gave Oil Change International between $50,000 to $130,000 from 2013 to 2015. ⁸ The Rockefeller Brothers Fund gave the group $380,308 in 2016 for general support. ⁸ Tides Foundation gave it $87,500 in its initial year for miscellaneous philosophy. ⁸ From 2013 to 2017, the Wallace Global Fund contributed between $50,000 to $70,000 to the group. ⁸ The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation has given one of the group’s highest donations at $600,000 in 2016 to promote the “global subsidies reform campaign.” ⁸

Rebecca Solnit, a writer and member of Oil Change’s board, once hosted a fundraiser where $45,000 was raised on her Facebook page. ⁹

Leadership

Stephen Kretzmann is the founder of Oil Change International. He formerly worked at Greenpeace for eight years, as an environmental adviser for Ken Saro-Wiwa and the Movement for the Survival of the Ogoni People in Nigeria, and as a consultant on environmental issues. ¹⁰

Elizabeth Bast is the managing director at Oil Change International who oversees the development and international public finances. ¹⁰ She also worked at Friends of the Earth as international program director, Worldwatch Institute and the National Environmental Policy and Law Center.

Alex Doukas is the group’s lead analyst who works to stop international subsidies and all financial sources from reaching fossil fuels. ¹⁰ He formerly worked with the World Resources Institute and the Pembina Institute.

Nathan Lemphers is the group’s senior campaigner where he works alongside the Energy Futures and Transitions Program. He used to work for the Pembina Institute. ¹⁰

Greg Muttitt is the research director for Oil Change. He has worked in several countries on environmental issues as an adviser, researcher and writer. ¹⁰