Sununu Blocks Clean Energy Incentives

by: NH Sierra Club

Wed Jul 30, 2008 at 15:42:53 PM EDT

Concord, NH: Both yesterday and today, Senator John E. Sununu again voted against measures to provide job-creating economic stimulus through incentives for renewable energy like wind and solar power.  

When votes came up once again to extend tax incentives for clean energy ,which are currently in danger of expiring at the end of 2008, Senator Sununu instead chose to side with Republican Senate Leadership which is holding up legislation to force a vote on more oil drilling.

"We need action on energy now.  Why is Senator Sununu holding up a win-win solution that everyone agrees on?" said Jerry Curran, NH Sierra Club Chapter Chair.  "Extending these incentives will save jobs in the clean energy industry, help us end our dependence on fossil fuels, and help lower energy costs.  Senator Sununu shouldn't be blocking solutions that will benefit Americans in favor of gimmicks that only help the oil industry."

Failing to extend these incentives only dims a bright clean energy future, it would snuff out one of the few bright spots in these grim economic times. Projects are already in danger of being canceled and over 100,000 hardworking Americans in the wind and solar industries alone could be thrown out of work if Congress doesn't act soon.

Making a serious commitment to clean, renewable energy could fuel tens of billions of dollars in economic growth and create over 820,000 new manufacturing jobs across the country.  Achieving these goals will be impossible unless Congress extends the current incentives without delay in order to avoid turning today's green energy boom into tomorrow's clean energy bust, as has happened each and every time Congress has let these tax incentives expire in years past.  

"Unfortunately it is increasingly clear that it is Senator Sununu who is out of touch with the people of New Hampshire and much more in tune with corporate polluters like Big Oil.  Senator Sununu can debate about drilling, but why slow down progress in the meantime?"

Sierra Club Radio Ads Urge Action on Gas Prices

by: NH Sierra Club

Mon Jul 28, 2008 at 16:29:56 PM EDT

Manchester, N.H.-The Sierra Club today launched a major radio ad campaign urging Congress to take action to address our growing energy and economic crises.  The new 60-second ad, "Rolling In It," urges Rep. Carol Shea-Porter and other Members of Congress to keep standing strong against Big Oil and calls on Congress to break Big Oil's stranglehold on America by cracking down on price-gouging, ending the billions in giveaways to the oil industry, investing in renewable energy to give consumers more clean energy options, and by offering consumers real relief at the pump.

"All this week we will be hearing the second quarter profit reports from the Big Oil companies, how they are rolling in it while hardworking Americans suffer, our economy crumbles, and a 100 mile oil slick stretches across the mouth of the Mississippi," said Jerry Curran, NH Sierra Club Chapter Chair.  "President Bush, Big Oil's backers in Congress, and shadowy outside groups are doing everything they can to push an agenda that will help pad Big Oil's bottom line while denying consumers any real relief from pain at the pump.  We are urging the public to tell Carol Shea-Porter to stand strong and move the kind of legislation we need to end Big Oil's chokehold on America's economy, energy policy and politics once and for all."    

The ads come as gas prices hover near all-time record highs and the oil companies report yet another quarter of record profits.  Last week ConocoPhillips announced a record-breaking $5.4 billion in profits-equal to more than one-third of the amount it earned during all of last year, which was itself a record.  What's more, the skyrocketing price of oil allowed ConocoPhillips to take in some $71 billion in revenue last quarter-approximately $24 billion more than the same period last year, even as it sold 200,000 fewer barrels of oil each day.  BP will announce its profits tomorrow, ExxonMobil and Royal Dutch Shell will both follow suit on Thursday, with Chevron making its announcement on Friday.  Profits at each company are expected to surge past all previous records.  

The ads target the following Members of Congress and will be running in the markets indicated below today through Friday, August 1:
• Rep. Heath Shuler (NC-11)-Asheville
• Rep. Jerry McNerney (CA-11)-San Francisco and Stockton
• Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (AZ-8)-Tucson
• Rep. Chris Carney (PA-10)-Wilkes-Barre
• Rep. Carol Shea-Porter (NH-1)-Manchester
• Sen. Herb Kohl (WI)-Green Bay

Script:

Sierra Club
Radio :60
"Rolling In It"
July 23, 2008

All this week, you'll be hearing about the billions of dollars in record high profits the Big Oil companies are making.

They're raking it in while we're feeling the pain of four dollar a gallon gas.

Let's face it -- big oil has our economy, our energy policies and our politics in a strangle-hold.

But Congress still has a chance to break that hold, to pass legislation that provides price relief and helps hard working families instead of the oil industry.

Call Congresswoman Carol Shea-Porter at 641-9536.  That's 641-9536. Ask her to say no to more money for Big Oil and yes to a break for us.  Ask Congresswoman Shea-Porter to end the billions in government giveaways to Big Oil, to crack down on the price gouging that's keeping gas prices so high, and to invest in renewable energy and give consumers more, cleaner energy choices.

Paid for by the Sierra Club

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Audio files of the ads are available at http://www.sierraclub.org/pres...

Sierra Club Endorses Obama for President

by: NH Sierra Club

Fri Jun 20, 2008 at 13:25:49 PM EDT

Carl Pope, the Executive Director of the Sierra Club, America's largest grassroots environmental organization, Leo Gerard,  the leader of America's largest industrial union, and, Ohio Senator Sherrod Brown highlighted the stakes in this year's election

"We believe Senator Obama is the change our nation needs - he is the change we need, the leader who will put America on the path to a clean energy economy that will create and keep millions of jobs, spur innovation and opportunity, make us a more secure nation, and  help us solve global warming," said Pope.

"The Sierra Club and the United Steelworkers are standing together in support of Barack Obama because we all share the common goal of putting America back to work by building a clean energy economy," said Leo Gerard, International President of the United Steelworkers.

"Our endorsement today marks the beginning of a massive mobilization  of thousands of members around the country for the campaign-on the phone, on the ground, on the airwaves and online, spreading the message that as President, Barack Obama will lead America into the clean energy future and that we support his plan to solve both our economic challenges and the challenge of global warming at the same time," said Allison Chin, President of the Sierra Club.

Senator Obama's plan will help heal America's economy and environment:

*  Senator Obama has presented a bold and comprehensive plan for addressing climate change that relies on what the world's scientists have told us needs to be done.  His plan includes a "cap and auction" system that would cut our carbon dioxide emissions 80 percent below 1990 levels by 2050.

*  His plan requires the polluters pay for the global warming pollution they emit, invests the money generated from the credits polluters would have to buy into clean energy, green jobs and aid for the lowest-income Americans affected by higher energy costs.

*  His calls for 25 percent of U.S. electricity to come from renewable sources by 2025, and for improving energy efficiency in the U.S. 50 percent by 2030 would create tens of thousands of jobs in growing industries while at the same time saving the amount Americans would have to spend on energy bills.

"Barack Obama has said, 'Change is an energy policy that puts a price on pollution and makes the oil companies invest their record profits in clean, renewable sources of energy that will create millions of new jobs and leave our children a safer planet.'  We really could not have said it better ourselves.  And that is why he is our candidate and we will do everything in our power to help elect him the next president of the United States,"
said Pope.

A sample of other high points of Senator Obama's environmental platform.

*Opposes destructive oil drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge and on fragile coasts.
*Opposes the storage of nuclear waste at the Yucca Mountain repository being built in southern Nevada.

*Promises to restore environmental protections that the Bush administration rolled back by executive order.

*Calls for tougher pollution regulations on factory farms or concentrated animal-feeding operations (CAFOs).

*Primary cosponsor of the Lead Poisoning Reduction Act, which aims to protect children from toxic lead poisoning.

Sierra Club was also an early backer of State Senator Barack Obama in the Democratic Primary for his run to the U.S. Senate, basing our endorsement on "his strong record of support for clean air, wetlands protection, and clean energy."