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McCain Renewable Energy Record: Endlessly Bad, Says Democratic National Committee
Posted : Tue, 17 Jun 2008 11:18:32 GMT
Author : Democratic National Committee
Category : Press Release


McCain's Anti-Renewable Record Hurts Competitiveness; Costs American Jobs WASHINGTON, June 17


WASHINGTON, June 17 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- While John McCain likes to
talk tough about energy independence and renewable energy, John McCain today
will cave in to his friends in the oil and gas industry. Despite supporting a
moratorium on off-shore drilling during his last presidential campaign and
opposing offshore drilling in places like Florida, North Carolina and Oregon,
Senator McCain will call for the elimination of the moratorium during his
remarks in Houston today. McCain will talk about promoting renewable energy,
despite a clear record of repeatedly voting against the renewable energy
incentives he now claims to support. McCain will criticize "reckless
speculators" who are driving up gas prices by "gaming the system," even though
that speculation was allowed to take place because the "Enron loophole" his
top economic advisor and campaign co-chair Phil Gramm forced through left
energy trading markets virtually unregulated.


(Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20080519/DNCLOGO )


McCain's recipe of more offshore drilling, new tax breaks for big oil, and
gas tax gimmicks won't solve the gas price crisis problem anytime soon, and
will actually delay real solutions. All the double talk and empty rhetoric
aside, McCain is offering more of the same failed Bush policies that have
driven energy prices through the roof, cost American jobs and put handouts for
the oil and gas industry ahead of energy independence. By hanging onto the
past and opposing new investments in renewable energy solutions that create
jobs and keep the United States competitive, John McCain is showing he doesn't
understand the challenges facing America.


"The John McCain who talks on the campaign trail about promoting energy
independence sounds nothing like the John McCain who has repeatedly voted
against responsible efforts to promote renewable energy and is caving in to
the oil and gas industry on off-shore drilling," said Democratic National
Committee Communications Director Karen Finney. "How can Americans trust John
McCain to deliver energy independence when he's changed his position to favor
friends in Big Oil, his top economic advisors forced through special interest
giveaways that helped create the problem, and he has no real plan to address
the problem or create jobs that will help keep the United States competitive?
As this campaign goes on, the voters will clearly see that a vote for Senator
McCain is a vote for four more years of the same failed Bush policies that
have cost American jobs, driven energy prices through the roof, and given huge
handouts to his friends in the oil and gas industry."



MCCAIN BLOCKED TAX CREDITS FOR GREEN JOBS


Renewable Energy Tax Credit Extension Worth 116,000 Jobs Per Year. A 2008
economic study by Navigant Consulting finds that "over 116,000 U.S. jobs and
nearly $19 billion in U.S. investment could be lost in just one year if
renewable energy tax credits are not renewed by Congress, according to
preliminary results released today by the American Wind Energy Association and
the Solar Energy Industries Association. The study finds that over 76,000
jobs are put at risk in the wind industry, and approximately 40,000 jobs in
the solar industry. The states that could lose the most jobs include: Texas,
Colorado, Illinois, Oregon, Minnesota, Washington, Iowa, North Dakota,
Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, and California. The lion's share of these states would
lose more than 1,000 jobs."



McCain Missed Key Votes On Extending Renewable Energy Tax Credits. McCain
missed numerous votes in 2007 and 2008 on tax credits for renewable energy,
due to his busy campaign schedule. Several of the votes he missed on extending
existing tax credits failed by just a few votes. <2007 Senate Vote #98,[br />3/22/2007; 2007 Senate Vote #223, 6/21/2007; 2007 Senate Vote #416, 12/7/2007;
2008 Senate Vote #8, 2/6/2008]


lots more...

http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/mccain-renewable-energy-record-endlessly-bad-says-democratic-national-committee,435379.shtml