Big oil targeting Butterfield
Submitted by James on Mon, 05/04/2009 - 7:48am
Congressman G.K. Butterfield is under attack by Big Oil this week, with misleading ads running in his district. The Rocky Mount Telegram has the story. Please call Congressman Butterfield now, and let him know that you want the "G" in his name to stand for "green." Contact information after the jump.
An advocacy group with ties to the oil industry is targeting U.S. Rep. G.K. Butterfield and nine other federal lawmakers who support implementing a cap-and-trade emissions program. As a member of the U.S. House Energy and Commerce Committee, Butterfield, D-1st District, is playing a lead role in negotiating major climate-change legislation that advocates say could turn the tides on global warming and that opponents warn will empty the pockets of taxpayers.
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The American Energy Alliance — an offshoot of the Institute for Energy Research — launched a radio ad campaign this week in 10 states opposing the bill and targeting Democratic lawmakers who’ll have key votes in crafting the legislation.
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“We can no longer delay consideration of legislation to defeat global warming,” Butterfield said. “We’ve talked about it for years, but the day of reckoning has come. We just need to make sure we do it the right way, which is going to be an enormously difficult and complex task.”
The American Energy Alliance radio ads ask voters to call Butterfield to task for the proposed legislation. Meanwhile, environmental advocates from around the state and nation are attempting to pull Butterfield in the opposite direction, calling for more stringent policy than even he advocates.
Some kind of legislation is going to get passed on climate change. The only question is whether it will be dictated by companies like Exxon and Duke Energy. We need to get this right.
The truth is, large scale solar and wind manufacturing operations would already be underway here in North Carolina if the energy playing field weren't so strongly tilted in favor of oil, coal and gas. After a century of operating without having to cover their enormous environmental costs, those dirty industries are fighting like hell to keep green energy from cutting into their profits. They don't care about the economy or the environment. They care about money, and the legislation Congressman Butterfield is pursuing will go a long way to ending their free ride.
Contact Mr. Butterfield today. Join this columnist for Business Week in telling him you support strong legislation to encourage the development of alternative energy. Tell him you want the G in G.K. to stand for green.
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Wilson office: 252-237-9816
DC office: 202-225-3101
Wilson voice mailbox is full
I used the web form instead. It takes less than a minute. Do it.
Do good. Be nice. Have fun.
Democrats have a Problem with Marketing!
Cap and Trade! What the Heck is that? We need to Name Our Polices in away that isn't threatening or confusing. These guys just dont' get it.
The key is to Keep things simple so people don't have to ask a lot of questions about what it is and how it would affect them. We need to be able to do that or else these Right Wingers will continue to take issues and twist them totally out of context and destort the truth. We all know how they opperate why should we be surprised. LETS FIGHT BUT LETS DO IT SMART!
Anthony D. Hall,
Fighting for Truth, Justice, Freedom and the American Way!
By the way G.K. IS PRETTY SAFE IN HIS DISTRICT
They would have to run a hell of a candidate to beat him here. His district has a lot of minorities and he "CLAIMS" to be of African American desent and is a member of the African American Caucus in the House.
Anthony D. Hall,
Fighting for Truth, Justice, Freedom and the American Way!
What do you mean?
You make it sound as if you don't believe that he is. Am I misunderstanding you?
He just doesn't look African American
I'm not trying to question him on it or anything, he says he is he is as far as I am concerned. I was just making a point that he is in a Safe Democratic District. I happen to like G.K. I meet him at the Biden Rally in Greenville, NC.
http://hallstyle.blogspot.com/2008/10/early-vote-for-change-rally-with-j...
Anthony D. Hall,
Fighting for Truth, Justice, Freedom and the American Way!
Anthony...he is African American
There is no doubt about it.
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Vote Democratic, the ass you save may be your own.
I'm sure of it.
Look Barack Obama is just as much White as he is Black. If he wanted to he could call himself just another White President. I am sorry if I made it sound like I was questioning him on it.
Anthony D. Hall,
Fighting for Truth, Justice, Freedom and the American Way!
It's all good
I'm sure Congressman Butterfield gets that a lot. I'm actually glad he's getting attention. Even negative attention can help him raise money. You're right, he's safe. I'd like to see him get more credit for what he does.
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Vote Democratic, the ass you save may be your own.
Done
I needed to call his DC office anyway b/c their RSS feed is on the fritz.
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Vote Democratic, the ass you save may be your own.
Conservation & Labor Groups Targeting Butterfield, Too
On March 31, Representatives Henry Waxman and Ed Markey, the chairman and relevant subcommittee chairman of the U.S. House Energy & Commerce Committee, released the draft American Clean Energy and Security Act. Rep. G.K. Butterfield (NC-01) serves as vice chairman of this committee.
ACES is a comprehensive energy bill. It is currently in the final day of discussion in the subcommittee, and will be discussed by the full committee before crossover next week.
America’s Building Trades Unions have joined with Conservation Council of NC's national affiliate, League of Conservation Voters, to launch a major paid media campaign urging Rep. Butterfield and other members of Congress to enact a comprehensive clean energy plan that will make America a global leader in energy, while also developing the domestic energy technologies that will create American jobs and strengthen our economy for years to come. They are currently running newspaper, radio, and television ads across Butterfield's district.
Conservation Council of North Carolina joined with NC State AFL-CIO and the national Building and Trade Unions to run 2 full page newspaper ads in a couple of the major papers in his district last week.
North Carolina has a real opportunity, especially in eastern counties, to become a leader in the new clean energy economy that is going to create millions of new jobs and exportable products.
Please join the new "The Heat Is On - North Carolina" Facebook group for legislative updates, and sign the petition on our website, www.conservationcouncilnc.org, to encourage Rep. Butterfield and the rest of the NC Congressional Delegation to support comprehensive clean energy legislation this session.
More details on who's behind AEA...
... from the Institute for Southern Studies' Facing South online magazine:
http://www.southernstudies.org/2009/05/power-politics-big-oil-behind-sha...
Isn't it curious about how Koch Industries, the nation's largest private oil and gas company, is behind so many mysterious efforts to scuttle legislation that boosts renewable energy, including the recent campaign against the economic stimulus bill, which provided support for plug-in cars?
AEA ad misquotes study to back its claim
(cross-post from The Heat Is On - North Carolina Facebook group)
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The American Energy Alliance is lead by Thomas J. Pyle, a major lobbyist for the oil industry. The alliance is using lies and false statistics to keep America stuck with more of the same energy policies that were enacted during the previous administration's 8 year term.
The ad cites an M.I.T. study supposedly backing up the claim that energy reform will impose a $3,100 energy tax, but the author of the cited M.I.T. study says that statistic is "just wrong":
"The Republican approach to estimating the cost of cap-and-trade is just wrong." He said even "apart from the misrepresentation of the costs" by the GOP, "it's inappropriate to draw conclusions on the costs of Waxman-Markey." [MIT Professor John Reilly, in an interview with Climate Progress]
The study's author has sent 2 letters to GOP leaders explaining why the $3,100 statistic is wrong and telling them to stop using it, but he has been ignored and groups like America Energy Alliance continue to spread the lie.
The EPA has found that President Obama's green economy legislation will actually SAVE the typically American family money and improve energy efficiency.
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Continued on Facebook at: http://www.facebook.com/topic.php?topic=8019&post=30579&uid=77776691098#...