Press release
Ad Watch: Election Year Rhetoric Can't Hide John Sununu's Record Of Standing With George Bush And Big Oil
Tuesday September 23, 2008

Shaheen campaign sets record straight about latest Sununu television ad

 

(Manchester, NH) – In response to John Sununu's new television ad, Shaheen for Senate today released an ad watch exposing Sununu's real record of standing with George Bush and Big Oil at the expense of the development of alternative and renewable energy sources.

 

"While George Bush has been allowing Big Oil to maintain its stranglehold on our economy, John Sununu has been right there behind him voting to protect billions in tax giveaways for Big Oil at the expense of investment in alternative and renewable energy sources," said Kate Bedingfield, communications director for Jeanne Shaheen for Senate.  "Big Oil doesn't need billions in tax giveaways – they are doing just fine in the Bush-Sununu economy.  John Sununu's backward-looking energy policy that gives billions to Big Oil won't get us to energy independence or help create 21st century jobs in New Hampshire.  If we want a new direction in energy policy, we need a new Senator."

 

 

SUNUNU TV AD FACT CHECK

 

CLAIM

 

 

THE FACTS

 

"Narrator: Fuel prices.  John Sununu has answers.  More conservation."

 

 

Sununu Opposed Setting Goal of Reducing America's Dependence on Foreign Oil by 40% in 20 Years.  [Senate Vote #140, 6/16/05]

 

Sununu Voted Twice Against Raising CAFE Standards.  [Senate Vote #157, 6/23/05; Senate Vote #311, 8/1/01]

 

Sununu Voted Against Increasing CAFE Standards to 40 MPG by 2014.  [Senate Vote #309, 7/29/03]
 
Sununu Voted Against Creating a Reserve Fund to Extend Tax Incentives for Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy.  [Senate Vote #97, 3/22/07]

Sununu Voted Against New Energy Efficiency Standards.  [Senate Vote #35, 2/28/08]

Sununu Voted Against Encouraging Energy Efficiency By Offering Incentives to Consumers.  [Senate Vote #55, 3/13/08]

 

 

"Tax credits for clean, renewable energy."

 

 

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… With the tally at 58-38 on a procedural vote that would determine the fate of the tax package and John McCain, R-Ariz., absent, just three senators had not voted: Sununu, Gregg and John Thune… Sununu and Gregg both voted against cloture, then Thune voted 'yes,' leaving the final tally at 59-40 and ensuring that the bill would be sent to the House without the tax package."  [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]

 

Sununu Voted Against Extending Renewable Energy Tax Credit.  [Senate Vote #42, 3/14/06]

 

2004: Sununu Voted Against $18 Billion in Energy Tax Incentives. [Senate Vote #89, 5/11/04]

 

 

"Jeanne Shaheen's plan?  Back to the 70s.  Higher energy taxes.  No new exploration.  Greater dependence on foreign oil."

 

 

Jeanne Shaheen's Plan for A New Energy Direction

 

  • Refundable Tax Credit for Winter Heating Fuels. Jeanne Shaheen supports an emergency refundable tax credit of up to $2,000 for people who use heating oil, propane, or natural gas as the primary source of energy for heating their primary residence.

 

  • Crack down on Wall Street speculation. To lower gas and heating oil prices in the short term, Jeanne Shaheen believes we need to crack down on the rampant Wall Street speculation that is distorting energy markets and driving up the cost of crude oil. Loopholes are enabling billion dollar hedge funds to evade government oversight and speculation limits and to distort oil markets, driving up prices. Speculators are not the airlines, home heating oil dealers, manufacturers and others who actually use oil and trade oil futures as a way of minimizing the effects of price swings on their businesses. Rather, speculators trade oil contracts as a profit-making investment and never take actual delivery of fuel. Experts estimate that closing these speculation loopholes could reduce the price of a barrel of oil by 30 to 50 percent. That's why the airline industry and home heating oil dealers and others who actually use fuel in their businesses support closing these speculation loopholes.

 

  • Smartly increase domestic production. Jeanne Shaheen wants to smartly increase domestic production of oil in a way that benefits American families and small businesses.

 

  • End subsidies to big oil, make a serious commitment to energy efficiency and alternative energy.  The long term answer to our energy needs and future economic prosperity is energy efficiency and clean alternative energy. The world is on the verge of the most significant economic transformation since the Industrial Revolution.  Millions of new jobs will be created in alternative energy, energy efficiency and environmental remediation.   These jobs will go to the first nations to invest seriously in clean energy.

 

            [http://jeanneshaheen.org/issues/view/3]

 

 



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