Today, Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado held a session on “the future of Venezuela” at CERAWeek, one of the world’s largest oil and gas conferences, where she spoke in support of U.S. oil and gas companies’ return to the country with a bold pitch for a “comprehensive plan” on opening up Venezuela’s oil reserves to “100% private investment.” From the CERAWeek stage, Machado publicly offered to meet with oil and gas executives this week about exploiting Venezuelan oil assets currently owned by the Venezuelan state. In response, Allie Rosenbluth, United States Campaign Manager at Oil Change International, said: “María Corina Machado’s appearance at CERAWeek shows how conflict and instability open the door for fossil fuel companies to entrench their stronghold across the globe. After Trump’s attacks on Venezuela, one of his priorities was encouraging U.S. oil companies to invest in Venezuelan oil – not for the benefit of the Venezuelan people, but to offer fossil fuel executives new opportunities to make a killing. “If U.S. oil companies return to Venezuela to ramp up production, communities and the climate will pay the price in polluted air and water, elevated risks of cancer and other health problems, and severe climate disasters. Most Venezuelan oil is heavy, sour crude, among the dirtiest and worst kinds of oil for our climate. This dirty oil places the communities in Venezuela – where it is extracted – and in the Gulf South – where it is refined – at even greater risk. “To protect communities across the world from environmental disasters and more wars for oil, we must reject extractive energy models and build democratic systems that prioritize community health and safety. The future of Venezuela should be determined by its people, not by U.S. fossil fuel executives looking to maximize their own profits.”