Jeanne Shaheen Outlines Comprehensive Approach to Address Short and Long-Term Energy Challenges at Derry Rotary, Contrasts Sununu Rhetoric With Sununu Record on Energy
Thursday September 04, 2008
Thursday September 04, 2008
(Derry, NH) – Former Governor and current candidate for US Senate Jeanne Shaheen today addressed the Derry Rotary Club to outline her comprehensive approach to address the short and long-term energy challenges facing our country. Shaheen also contrasted John Sununu's recent rhetoric on the energy with his voting record in Washington.
"Just today, I saw John Sununu in the paper claiming to support ending tax breaks for Big Oil and regulating the energy markets to curb speculation," Shaheen said in the speech. "Well, here are the facts -- because his voting record in the Senate tells an entirely different story. As recently as two months ago, Sununu voted against increasing regulation and accountability in the energy futures market. In fact, he's voted six times in the last year against closing the loopholes that allow billion-dollar hedge funds to speculate on the price of oil with no oversight. And he has consistently voted to protect tax breaks for Big Oil, even casting the deciding vote last December against cutting them to reinvest that money in the development of alternative and renewable energy sources.
The energy crisis is one of the greatest collective challenges we face as a nation in the global economy – it deserves more than election year rhetoric and last-minute political posturing."
The Real Sununu Energy Record
Billions in Subsidies to Big Oil
Sununu Cast Deciding Vote Against $13 Billion in Renewable Energy Tax Breaks Offset by Reducing Subsidies for Oil and Gas Companies. [Senate Vote #425, 12/13/07]
Sununu "Killed" Energy Tax Breaks for Renewable Industry. Congressional Quarterly reported in December 2007 that, "Even tax credits for wood-burning stoves couldn't make New Hampshire's senators warm up to a $22 billion energy tax package. The last-minute 'no' votes of Republicans John E. Sununu and Judd Gregg killed the tax provisions Thursday, as proponents fell one vote short of extending tax breaks for renewable energy sources, offset in part by stripping about $13 billion in tax breaks from the oil and gas industry…" [Congressional Quarterly, 12/13/07]
Sununu Voted Against Cutting $17 Billion in Subsidies to Big Oil and Gas to Fund Renewable Energy Research. [Senate Vote #146, 6/10/08]
Opposing Cracking Down on Speculators
Sununu Voted to Create the Enron Loophole. [House Vote #603, 12/15/00]
Sununu Voted Seven Times Against Closing Speculation Loopholes, Including One Vote the Day After the CFTC Announced The First Case in Its Oil Market Manipulation Investigation. [Senate Vote #436, 11/5/03; Senate Vote 434, 12/14/07; Senate Vote #130, 5/15/08; Senate Vote #140, 5/22/08; Senate Vote #144, 6/5/08; Senate Vote #151, 6/18/08; Senate Vote #184, 7/25/08; New York Times, 7/25/08]
Opposing Investment in Renewable Energy
Sununu Voted Against Extending Renewable Energy Tax Credit. [Senate Vote #42, 3/14/06]
Sununu Voted Four Times Against Extending Tax Breaks and Creating Energy-Related Tax Incentives. [Senate Vote #147, 6/10/08; Senate Vote #150, 6/17/08; Senate Vote #190, 7/29/08; Senate Vote #192, 7/30/08]
For more information on Jeanne Shaheen's plan to crack down on rampant Wall Street speculation, end the massive, needless subsidies to Big Oil, make significant investments in alternative and renewable energy sources and smartly increase domestic production, visit http://www.jeanneshaheen.org.
"Just today, I saw John Sununu in the paper claiming to support ending tax breaks for Big Oil and regulating the energy markets to curb speculation," Shaheen said in the speech. "Well, here are the facts -- because his voting record in the Senate tells an entirely different story. As recently as two months ago, Sununu voted against increasing regulation and accountability in the energy futures market. In fact, he's voted six times in the last year against closing the loopholes that allow billion-dollar hedge funds to speculate on the price of oil with no oversight. And he has consistently voted to protect tax breaks for Big Oil, even casting the deciding vote last December against cutting them to reinvest that money in the development of alternative and renewable energy sources.
The energy crisis is one of the greatest collective challenges we face as a nation in the global economy – it deserves more than election year rhetoric and last-minute political posturing."
The Real Sununu Energy Record
Billions in Subsidies to Big Oil
Sununu Cast Deciding Vote Against $13 Billion in Renewable Energy Tax Breaks Offset by Reducing Subsidies for Oil and Gas Companies. [Senate Vote #425, 12/13/07]
Sununu "Killed" Energy Tax Breaks for Renewable Industry. Congressional Quarterly reported in December 2007 that, "Even tax credits for wood-burning stoves couldn't make New Hampshire's senators warm up to a $22 billion energy tax package. The last-minute 'no' votes of Republicans John E. Sununu and Judd Gregg killed the tax provisions Thursday, as proponents fell one vote short of extending tax breaks for renewable energy sources, offset in part by stripping about $13 billion in tax breaks from the oil and gas industry…" [Congressional Quarterly, 12/13/07]
Sununu Voted Against Cutting $17 Billion in Subsidies to Big Oil and Gas to Fund Renewable Energy Research. [Senate Vote #146, 6/10/08]
Opposing Cracking Down on Speculators
Sununu Voted to Create the Enron Loophole. [House Vote #603, 12/15/00]
Sununu Voted Seven Times Against Closing Speculation Loopholes, Including One Vote the Day After the CFTC Announced The First Case in Its Oil Market Manipulation Investigation. [Senate Vote #436, 11/5/03; Senate Vote 434, 12/14/07; Senate Vote #130, 5/15/08; Senate Vote #140, 5/22/08; Senate Vote #144, 6/5/08; Senate Vote #151, 6/18/08; Senate Vote #184, 7/25/08; New York Times, 7/25/08]
Opposing Investment in Renewable Energy
Sununu Voted Against Extending Renewable Energy Tax Credit. [Senate Vote #42, 3/14/06]
Sununu Voted Four Times Against Extending Tax Breaks and Creating Energy-Related Tax Incentives. [Senate Vote #147, 6/10/08; Senate Vote #150, 6/17/08; Senate Vote #190, 7/29/08; Senate Vote #192, 7/30/08]
For more information on Jeanne Shaheen's plan to crack down on rampant Wall Street speculation, end the massive, needless subsidies to Big Oil, make significant investments in alternative and renewable energy sources and smartly increase domestic production, visit http://www.jeanneshaheen.org.
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