The Kerry Line: Kerry's Renewable Energy Contradictions

George W. Bush ^ | April 22, 2004

[RWR8189]

"Kerry's political rhetoric on the environment doesn't match the reality of his 19 years in the Senate. Kerry says he favors renewable energy, but he blocked President Bush's Energy Bill that provided significant funding for renewable energy development. When Kerry had the opportunity to help environmental groups install a planned wind farm near his beach house, he declined to support it."
- Steve Schmidt, Bush-Cheney '04 Spokesman

Kerry Says He Supports Renewable Energy…

Kerry Talks About Need To Invest In Renewable Energy, Stating Millions Of New Jobs Will Be Created. "'We spend $1.8 billion in subsidies for oil and gas … and only $24 million for alternative and renewable energy,' the Massachusetts Democrat told a crowd of University of New Hampshire students. 'We ought to flip-flop those numbers.' Kerry, who has called for a renewed federal commitment to environmental justice, said that finding sources of renewable energy would save billions of dollars and create millions of new jobs." (Alex Ortolani, "Kerry: U.S. Must Decrease Oil Dependency," The [Manchester, NH] Union Leader, 4/26/03)

Just Not Near His Nantucket Home

Kerry Won't Weigh In On Cape Wind Farm Project In His Own Backyard. "Kerry insisted it's proper to let the environmental review continue and not to short-circuit public comment. 'I don't think it is appropriate for me (to weigh in). I think the most appropriate thing to do is listen to the people on the Cape, listen to the people who have concerns, weigh the arguments,' he said." (Kevin Landrigan, "Kerry Offers Ways To Fight Pollution," The Telegraph [Nashua, NH], 4/23/03)

Multiple Environmental Groups Are For Project. "In addition to Greenpeace, the Natural Resource Defense Council, the World Wildlife Fund, the Conservation Law Foundation and Friends of the Earth have spoken favorably of the project." (Sam Dealey, "Wind Farm Is An Issue For Kerry," The Hill, 6/18/03)

Greenpeace Has Criticized Kerry For His Silence. "'Kerry is the one who really needs to be called out on this stuff,' said Kert Davies, research director of Greenpeace. 'He's been pretty mum so far. We don't know where he stands.' Davies added, 'He's obviously very pro-renewable energy; he knows the climate better than almost anyone in the Senate. And by that logic, he should be in favor of this project being implemented.'" (Sam Dealey, "Wind Farm Is An Issue For Kerry," The Hill, 6/18/03)

Meanwhile, Other "Upscale" Local Property Owners Oppose Project Too. "Many property owners on upscale Nantucket Island and Martha's Vineyard object to the project, saying the 130 turbines planned would mar ocean vistas and harm property values." (Chris Holly, "Wind Technology Said Help In Natural Gas Crisis," New Technology Week, 7/14/03)

Including Hyannis Resident And Kerry Surrogate Sen. Kennedy. "Sen. Edward M. Kennedy (D., Mass.) has been championing a bill to allow governors to reject offshore wind-farm proposals, but his spokeswoman said the legislation was not directed at Cape Wind. … Kennedy's concern 'is that we can't move forward on what could be potentially important sources of renewable energy with a piecemeal approach,' Kennedy spokeswoman Stephanie Cutter said." (Angela Couloumbis,"A Proposed Wind Farm Off Cape Cod Raises Howls," Philadelphia Inquirer, 8/5/03)

Kerry Skipped Vote On Energy Bill That Included Key Renewable Energy Programs

Kerry Missed Vote For Cloture, Helping Defeat Energy Bill. Kerry missed the vote campaigning for president in N.H. His campaign says he would have opposed bill anyway.

The Energy Bill (H.R. 6) That Kerry Opposed Would Have:

• Required A 20% Reduction In Federal Building Energy Use By 2013;
• Eliminated The Need For At Least 130 New Power Plants By 2020;
• Authorized $300 Million For Solar Programs;
• Provided For An Average Of $600 Million Per Year For Existing And New Coal Based Research And Development;
• Provided $1.8 Billion Authorization To Carry Out Clean Coal Power Initiative;
• Mandated That At Least 60 Percent Of The $1.8 Billion Be Used For Coal-Based Gasification Technology Which Must Met Stringent Environmental Performance And Increase Efficiency Standards;
• Authorized Over $2.9 Billion In Funding Over The Next Five Years For Renewable Energy Research And Development;
• Instituted A Specific New Funding Category To Cleanup Tank-Related Releases Of Oxygenated Fuel Additives In Gasoline Like MTBE. (House Republican Conference, "Highlights Of Energy Policy Act Of 2003," 11/22/03)

By Missing Vote, Kerry Killed American Jobs. NPR’S JEFF YOUNG: "Vestas Group, the world’s leading maker of wind turbines, had planned a new plant in Oregon with a thousand employees. Now that’s up in the air. Wind farms proposed for Minnesota and Iowa are stalled, and [American Wind Energy Association President Randall] Swisher says layoffs are coming." (NPR’s "Morning Edition," 12/31/03)

[Integrityrocks]

"Kerry Talks About Need To Invest In Renewable Energy, Stating Millions Of New Jobs Will Be Created..."

I am no Vietnam hero or an Ivy League graduate, or the President of the United States or even the Presumptive Presidential Candidate of the United States and I can fix THIS problem EASY.

OPEN UP ANWAR (we need the oil and it will make LOTS of jobs and the caribou population will expand just like the North Slop caribou population has -- I know; I've seen it) AND DE-FEDERALIZE a few million acres of Alaska Tongass National Forest (its RENEWABLE!!!!!!!! and will created LOTS AND LOTS of logging industry jobs.)

[Integrityrocks]

North Slop = North Slope (sorry)

[alloysteel]

The best thing about Kerry missing a vote up before the Senate on energy policy, is that he does not have to reverse the vote later. But it becomes a total mystery just which side he DOES support.

Nuclear: The most renewable source of all. Once the technology has applied to a "breeder" reactor, the fuel just keeps getting reused and reused until it is all gone.

THAT ought to set the anti-nuke screechniks to full cry.

[talleyman]

OPEN UP ANWAR (we need the oil and it will make LOTS of jobs and the caribou population will expand just like the North Slop[e] caribou population has -- I know; I've seen it) AND DE-FEDERALIZE a few million acres of Alaska Tongass National Forest (its RENEWABLE!!!!!!!! and will created LOTS AND LOTS of logging industry jobs.)

What we need is oil - what Kerry promises is hot air (but not in his back yard).

[jackbill]

OPEN UP ANWAR

The governor of Alaska is going to do just that. He is selling off-shore leases - just 3 miles off-shore of ANWR. Heck, they can slant drill farther than that.