July 6, 2008

In Anticipation of the July 7 Tour, Steve Sarvi for Congress (MN-02) Takes a Look at Kline’s Record on Energy

EAGAN, Minn. – On Monday, July 7, Rep. John Kline is scheduled to embark on an “energy tour” of Minnesota’s 2nd Congressional District. The tour is slated to include stops at a refinery, a wind turbine facility, an energy-from -waste facility, and a hydroelectric facility. It is invitation-only.

"Mr. Kline can ‘tour’ all he wants,” said Bridget Cusick, communication director, Steve Sarvi for Congress. “But his votes show where he really stands. He rejects home-grown Minnesota energy development and the thousands of jobs it stands to create. He doesn’t support common-sense conservation efforts that will save us money and ensure we have the energy we need in the future. We hope those who join him on the tour ask him the tough questions about his record that need to be asked.”

The Kline Record on Energy
Kline Took Hundreds of Thousands of Dollars from the Energy Industry and – Unsurprisingly – Voted for Their Bills. John Kline took huge contributions from the energy sector for his campaign war chest, he voted in lockstep with the Bush administration’s energy bills – giveaways to the energy companies. Over the course of his career, John Kline has taken over $125,000 from energy industry PACs and more than $165,000 from the energy industry overall. He has taken more than $110,000 from the oil and gas sectors alone. (http://www.opensecrets.org)

Kline Is a Reliable Vote Against Alternative Energy Research and Development and Energy Conservation. Kline has voted repeatedly against common-sense legislation to decrease our dependence on foreign oil, address climate change, lower energy costs for consumers and create hundreds of thousands of new jobs in the process.

Late last year, he voted against the Energy Independence and Security Act. Its purpose was to move the United States toward greater energy independence and security by increasing the production of clean renewable fuels, increasing the efficiency of products, buildings, and vehicles, promoting research on and deployment of greenhouse gas capture techniques, and improving the energy performance of the Federal Government. (http://www.govtrack.us/congress/bill.xpd?tab=speeches&bill=h110-6)

Earlier this year, Kline voted against H.R. 5351, the Renewable Energy and Energy Conservation Tax Act of 2008, which seeks to invest Big Oil’s $18 billion in government subsidies in renewable energy research and development and tax credits for a wide range of renewable energy programs.

Given a Chance to Save Taxpayers Money on School Energy Costs, John Kline Voted No. Kline voted against H.R.3021, the 21st Century Green High-Performing Public School Facilities Act. The bill – which passed – encourages public schools to run more efficiently by updating school buildings to be more energy-efficient, providing great potential for real long-term cost savings. (http://thatsmycongress.com/index.php/2008/06/05/republicans-vote-against...)

Kline “Embarrassingly Out of Step with Minnesota Voters” on Energy. The League of Conservation Voters (LCV) has given John Kline one of its lowest scores in Congress. In 2003-2004, John Kline was tied for the worst score in the Minnesota Congressional delegation. In 2005, John Kline received the lowest possible score from the LCV. In 2006, Kline had the second-worst score in the delegation, and was called “embarrassingly out of step with Minnesota voters on conservation, energy, and public health issues.” (http://www.capwiz.com/lcv/dbq/vote_info/)

Steve Sarvi
Steve Sarvi stands ready to work for real energy solutions. Learn about his energy ideas at www.stevesarvi.org/issues/energy-and-the-environment.

Sarvi, the DFL-endorsed candidate for Congress in Minnesota’s 2nd Congressional District, is a decorated veteran of the U.S. Army and National Guard who served in both Kosovo and Iraq. He’s a former three-term mayor of Watertown, Minn., who worked in local government for more than 13 years. For more about Sarvi and his vision for changing our country’s course, visit www.stevesarvi.org.

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