Elizabeth Dole: Big Oil

Full Report

Who can break the grip of Big Oil?

America’s addiction to oil causes a host of environmental problems—from oil spills to air pollution to global warming—while harming our economy and jeopardizing our national security. North Carolinians deserve a U.S. Senator who will fight for us to reduce our dependence on oil and protect our environment.

Unfortunately, Sen. Elizabeth Dole has consistently sided with Big Oil, and against the interests of North Carolinians on issue after issue: from automobile fuel economy to tax breaks for oil companies.

To break the grip of Big Oil, North Carolina residents have a clear choice this November. Kay Hagan will fight for North Carolina and against Big Oil to bring America to a cleaner, more secure energy future.

America’s dependence on oil

America’s dependence on oil hurts our environment and our economy. For example:

• America now imports 58 percent of our oil from abroad—up from 27 percent in 1985—threatening our economy and our national security.[1]

• America spends twice as much each year on gasoline as we did five years ago. That’s an additional $200 billion per year sucked out of American’s pocketbooks, with much of it sent to unfriendly nations overseas.[2]

• America’s use of oil produces more carbon dioxide—the leading global warming pollutant—than the entire economy of any other nation in the world besides China.[3]

• Oil consumption contributes to a host of environmental and public health problems from unhealthy air that affects 125 million Americans[4] to the oil spills that have wreaked havoc on ecosystems all across the country.

Big Oil is standing in the way of a new energy future

There are solutions to America’s dependence on oil. We have the technology to use oil more efficiently, switch to clean alternative fuels, and provide more Americans with a wider range of transportation options. For example:

• The technology exists to make our cars and trucks go much farther on a gallon of gasoline. Automakers could achieve a fleet average of 40 miles per gallon within 10 years with existing technology.[5]

• New technologies such as plug-in hybrids—which use a combination of gasoline and electricity—could allow cars to get more than 100 miles per gallon, while reducing pollution. Several automakers are now racing to produce plug-in hybrids within the next two years.[6]

• Cities across the country are pushing to expand their public transportation systems to accommodate a surge in demand for transportation alternatives. Transit ridership hit a 50-year high in 2007.[7] Interest is also growing in building new high-speed rail links between American cities to provide an alternative to the hassles of flying and driving. High-speed trains can reach up to 200 miles per hour while using far less oil.

Reducing America’s dependence on oil just makes common sense. But Big Oil and its lobbyists in Washington, D.C., have fought smart energy policies every step of the way, while working to protect their own lucrative taxpayer subsidies and immense profits. They’ve even used the crisis of rising oil prices to attain their long-term goal of getting new authority to drill for oil off of some of America’s most treasured coastlines.

The 2008 election and the America’s oil future

The next senator from North Carolina will be a key vote on a host of important energy issues that will face the next Congress. Big Oil and other powerful industries will use their clout to push policies that pad their profits while keeping America addicted to fossil fuels. If America is to move toward a new energy future, we must elect leaders who are capable of standing up to Big Oil and putting Americans first.

The choice for North Carolinians is clear. Sen. Dole has been a reliable vote for Big Oil. On the other hand, Kay Hagan will be a committed leader fighting on behalf of North Carolinians to break the grip of Big Oil and bring America toward a new energy future.

Sen. Dole: The senator for Big Oil

Senator Dole has consistently voted against the American people and for Big Oil. As a member of the Senate since 2003, Sen. Dole:

• Voted to protect $13 billion in subsidies for Big Oil.[8] That’s $123 for each family in North Carolina at a time when those same families are paying $1,480 more a year for gasoline as compared to 2001.[9]

• Voted against clean energy policies that could reduce our dependence on oil and cut into the profits of Big Oil. In 2007, the top five oil companies earned as much in profits as it would take 3.6 million North Carolinians to earn in a year.[10]

• Voted against increasing the fuel economy standard for cars and light trucks, which would save 1.1 million barrels of oil a day by 2020.
• Voted against creating a renewable electricity standard that would increase the use of renewable energy such as wind, solar and geothermal.[12]

• Took$112,277 in campaign contributions from the oil industry during the 2007 to 2008 Congress. [13]

• Voted against common-sense legislation that would curb the excessive speculation in the energy market that is contributing to inflation of oil prices.[14]

Kay Hagan will take on Big Oil and fight for a new energy future

By electing Kay Hagan, North Carolinians can ensure that they have a champion fighting for their interests—and not those of Big Oil—in the critical energy battles that face the next Congress. As a member of the U.S. Senate, she will fight to increase the fuel economy standard for cars and trucks, and to invest in public transit and fuel efficiency technology. She will work to support the “green jobs” movement by creating jobs in the burgeoning fields of clean energy and energy efficiency. She will also work to end government handouts to Big Oil at the expense of North Carolina taxpayers.[15] Kay Hagan will be a leader for North Carolina, getting us on track to a new energy future.

About Environment North Carolina

We all want clean air, clean water and open space. But it takes independent research and tough-minded advocacy to win concrete results for our environment, especially when powerful interests stand in the way of environmental progress. That's the idea behind Environment North Carolina. We focus exclusively on protecting North Carolina’s air, water and open space. We speak out and take action at the local, state and national levels to improve the quality of our environment and our lives.

Sources

U.S. Department of Energy, Energy Information Administration, Annual Energy Review 2007, 23 June 2008.

U.S. Department of Energy, Energy Information Administration, Annual Energy Review 2007, 23 June 2008.

Emissions from oil from U.S. Department of Energy, Energy Information Administration, Emissions of Greenhouse Gases in the United States 2006, 28 November 2007; International emissions from U.S. Department of Energy, Energy Information Administration, International Energy Annual 2005, 1 October 2007.

American Lung Association, State of the Air 2008, 2008.

Union of Concerned Scientists, Common Sense on Climate Change Solutions #1: Make Better Cars and SUVs, downloaded from www.ucsusa.org/global_warming/global_warming_101/common-sense-solution-1.html, 19 September 2008.

Both General Motors and Toyota have pledged to produce plug-in hybrid vehicles within the next several years. See James R. Healey, “Ford, Toyota, GM Get Charged Up for Plug-In Hybrids,” USA Today, 18 January 2008.

American Public Transportation Association, 10.3 Billion Trips Taken on Public Transportation Ridership in 2007——The Highest Level in 50 Years; Ridership Increased as Gas Prices Remained High, press release, 10 March 2008.

Motion to Invoke Cloture on the Baucus Amdt. No. 1704. http://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_lists/roll_call_vote_cfm.cfm?congress=110&session=1&vote=00223. 21 June, 2007.

$123 per household subsidy to Big Oil based on $13 billion in tax breaks that would have been eliminated in the Energy Advancement and Investment Act of 2007, divided by number of households in the United States based on U.S. Census Bureau, State and County Quickfacts: USA, downloaded from quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/00000.html, 19 September 2008. $1,480 additional spent on gasoline each year based on U.S. Congress, Joint Economic Committee, Gas Prices: Fast Facts, downloaded from www.jec.senate.gov/index.cfm?FuseAction=Issues.View&Issue_id=6b00d96f-7e9c-9af9-74bf-939f486de1d0#relatedDocs, 19 September 2008.

Oil industry profits compared with household earnings: Profits from the top five oil companies in 2007 was based on Robert Pirog, Congressional Research Service, Oil Industry Profit Review 2007, 4 April 2008. Equivalent earnings from state residents based on per capita personal income from U.S. Department of Commerce, Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Economic Accounts: State Annual Personal Income, downloaded from http://www.bea.gov/bea/regional/spi/default.cfm?satable=SA30, 19 September 2008.

Cloture on Renewable Fuels, Consumer Protection, and Energy Efficiency Act of 2007, HR 6.http://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_lists/roll_call_vote_cfm.cfm?congress=110&session=1&vote=00416. December 7, 2007.

Cloture on Renewable Fuels, Consumer Protection, and Energy Efficiency Act of 2007, HR 6.http://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_lists/roll_call_vote_cfm.cfm?congress=110&session=1&vote=00416. December 7, 2007.

Contributions from oil industry based on Oil Change International, Follow the Oil Money database, data downloaded from oilmoney.priceofoil.org/index.php, 3 October, 2008.

Stop Excessive Energy Speculation Act of 2008,S. 3268.http://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_lists/roll_call_vote_cfm.cfm?congress=110&session=2&vote=00184. 25 July, 2008.

Kay Hagan for U.S. Senate. Downloaded: kayhagan.com 29 September, 2008.