Monday, September 17, 2012

The Truth on Rep. Bilbray’s Anti-Clean Energy Voting Record




WASHINGTON – The California League of Conservation Voters and national League of Conservation Voters today responded to the latest ad by Rep. Brian Bilbray, which attempts to mislead voters on his extreme anti-clean energy, anti-environmental voting record. Bilbray’s votes earned him a horrible 17% on LCV’s 2011National Environmental Scorecard.

“Unfortunately, Brian Bilbray isn’t the first candidate running for office in California to attempt to mislead voters about his environmental record,” said David Allgood, Political Director of the California League of Conservation Voters. “But promises to protect our environment must be backed up by performance, and Mr. Bilbray’s 17% voting record is clear proof he is not the right candidate for the job.”

“Rep. Bilbray has sided Republican leaders at every turn and his votes have helped make the current House of Representatives the most anti-environmental House in history. This ad was made possible by the $225,218 in campaign contributions he’s received from the oil and gas industry throughout his career – they’re standing up for Bilbray because he’s made a career out of standing up for them,” said Navin Nayak, LCV Senior Vice President for Campaigns.

Despite the claims made in the ad, Bilbray has a record of voting against clean energy legislation that protects the environment and creates jobs, while also voting against safeguards that protect the California waters he purports to cherish. Recent votes include:

·         Bilbray voted against the American Clean Energy and Security Act, which included a 20 percent renewable energy standard; the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, which included the largest investment in clean energy in U.S. history; and two other bills to extend critical tax incentives for renewable energy (the Renewable Energy and Job Creation Act and the Renewable Energy and Energy Conservation Tax Act). [HR 2454, House Vote 277, 6/26/09; HR 1, House Vote 70, 2/13/09; HR 6049, House Vote 344, 5/21/08; HR 5351, House Vote 84, 2/27/08]

·         Bilbray has repeatedly voted to undermine clean water safeguards.  He even voted for HR 2018, a bill that would dismantle the Clean Water Act. [HR 2018,House Vote 573, 7/13/11; Moran Amdt to HR 2354, House Vote 540, 7/12/11; McKinley Amdt to HR 1, House Vote 135, 2/19/11]

The non-partisan LCV National Environmental Scorecard is a nationally accepted yardstick used to rate members of Congress on environmental and clean energy issues. For more information, visit http://www.lcv.org/scorecard.

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Paid for by the League of Conservation Voters, www.lcv.org, and the California League of Conservation Voters, www.ecovote.org, and not authorized by any candidate or candidate’s committee.

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