Ad Watch: John McCain Campaign Fabricates Support for Renewable Energy in False, Misleading New Ad

August, 2008 -- Washington, D.C.—The Sierra Club last week denounced a new John McCain ad, "Family," as completely false and misleading. The ad attacks Barack Obama and then goes on to tout McCain’s supposed support for renewable energy and energy independence. McCain has a long record of consistently voting against renewable energy.

The ad can be viewed at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_3DxDBH9nn4

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Partial script:

Text on screen: McCain Energy Plan [images of wind turbines]

Announcer: Renewable energy to transform our economy, create jobs and energy independence. That’s John McCain.

John McCain Offers Nothing More Than Empty Rhetoric on Renewable Energy

* John McCain talks about renewable energy every single day, yet has actively opposed the policies needed to make the clean energy economy a reality.
* John McCain—like President Bush, coal companies, and the utility industry—opposes a Renewable Electricity Standard and has consistently voted against such a standard in the past. (Sources: 2005 Senate Vote #141, 6/16/2005; 2002 Senate Vote #50, 3/14/2002; 2002 Senate Vote #55, 3/21/2002; 2002 Senate Vote #59, 3/21/2002)
* John McCain believes the renewable energy industry is "doing fine" and doesn’t need any incentives. While he offered a $300 million gimmick on electric cars, he has voted against $290 million for clean energy. Meanwhile, John McCain favors billions in new and existing subsidies for dirty, dangerous, and distracting nuclear power. (Sources: Grist, 10/1/07; 2006 Senate Vote #42, 3/14/2006)
* If key clean energy incentives that are in danger of expiring soon are not renewed, it could cost more than 116,000 hardworking Americans in the wind and solar industries alone their jobs and sacrifice $19 billion in economic growth. Twice, when every single other Senator voted and measures to renew these critical incentives lost by just a single vote, John McCain didn’t even show up to vote when he could have made the difference. (Sources: Navigant Consulting study, 02/04/2008, http://www.awea.org/newsroom/pdf/Tax_Credit_Impact.pdf; 2007 Senate Vote #425, 2008 Senate Vote #8)

Statement of Cathy Duvall, Sierra Club Political Director

"It's shameful that John McCain and his campaign continue to deliberately mislead voters about his record on renewable energy. Hundreds of stump speeches and millions of dollars in ads cannot change a two decade-long record of consistently voting against renewable energy.

"While his ad may talk about creating jobs, John McCain's failure to support key clean energy tax incentives could cost the 116,000 hardworking Americans in the wind and solar industries alone their jobs. It will also sacrifice billions in lost economic opportunity.

"John McCain could've been the deciding vote on this issue twice -- something that would've truly helped America's workers and moved us toward energy independence -- but he was the only Senator who didn’t even bother to show up and vote. And just last week, John McCain's allies in the Senate blocked extending these energy incentives twice because they were determined to hold Congress hostage in order to push the Bush-McCain-Big Oil energy agenda at all costs.

"When it comes to energy independence, America needs a plan -- not political platitudes. All talk and no votes -- that’s John McCain."

Source: Sierra Club