John McCain: 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. Americans deserve a president who will fight for us to reduce our dependence on oil and protect our environment.

Unfortunately, John McCain has consistently sided with Big Oil and against the interests of Americans on issue after issue. To break the grip of Big Oil, Americans have a clear choice this November. Sen. Barack Obama will fight for citizens 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 president will be an influential voice for the energy future of this country and of the entire world. 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 the United States is to move toward a new energy future, we must elect a leader who is capable of standing up to Big Oil and putting Americans first.

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

Sen. McCain: The senator for Big Oil

Sen. McCain has consistently voted against the American people and for Big Oil. As a member of the Senate since 1987, McCain:

• Opposed legislation to end $13 billion in subsidies for Big Oil. That’s $123 for each family in the United States at a time when those same families are paying $1,480 more a year for gasoline, compared to 2001.[8] McCain missed the vote on the measure, but a spokesperson said that had he been present, he would have voted against it.[9]

• Voted to allow drilling on 1.47 million acres off the coast of Florida in 2001[10], despite the risk of environmental harm. Hurricanes Katrina and Rita destroyed 113 drilling platforms in the Gulf of Mexico and damaged 457 pipelines.[11] The Coast Guard documented six major, five medium, and more than 5,000 minor oil spills caused by just those two hurricanes, which released more than 9 million gallons of oil into the Gulf of Mexico.[12]

• Voted against clean energy policies that could reduce our dependence on oil. In 2007, the top five oil companies earned as much in profits as it would take 3 million American families to earn in a year.[13]

• Voted against raising the fuel economy standard for cars and light trucks to 40 mpg.[14]

• Took $1.2 million in campaign contributions from the oil industry during the 2008 presidential campaign alone.[15]

• Surrounded himself with 28 lobbyists from the oil and gas industry who serve as his bundlers, staffers and advisors.[16]

Sen. Barack Obama will take on Big Oil and fight for a new energy future

By electing Barack Obama, Americans can ensure that they have a champion fighting for their interests—and not those of Big Oil—in the critical energy decisions that face the next president. Sen. Obama:

• Voted to shift $13 billion in subsidies from the largest oil and gas companies toward renewable energy and energy efficiency.[17]

• Voted to increase energy efficiency and create the first national renewable electricity standard.[18]

• Voted to improve gas mileage standards, thereby saving 1.1 million barrels of oil a day by 2020, saving consumers $26 billion at the gas pump, and dramatically reducing our global warming pollution.[19]

• Voted to extend clean energy tax incentives to spur continued growth in the burgeoning clean energy industry and protect 116,000 American jobs, while helping to solve global warming.[20]

Sen. Obama’s record in the Senate shows that he will take on Big Oil and move America toward a new energy future.

About Environment America

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 America. We focus exclusively on protecting our 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

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

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

[3] 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. 

[4] American Lung Association, State of the Air 2008, 2008.

[5] 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.

[6] 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.

[7] 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.

[8] $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.

[9] Brian Wingfield, The Incredible Shrinking Energy Bill. Available: http://www.forbes.com. 26 September, 2008.

[10] Motion to Table Nelson (FL) Amendment No. 893. http://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_lists/roll_call_vote_cfm.cfm?congress=107&session=1&vote=00231. 12 July, 2001.

[11] Minerals Management Service, “News Release: MMS Updates Hurricanes Katrina and Rita Damage”,  May 1, 2006

[12] “Report  to Congress: Oil Spill Liability Trust Fund Hurricane Impact.” U.S. Department of Homeland Security: United States Coast Guard. 8 May 2006.

[13] 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.

[14] On Amdt. S. 902 to improve the system for enhancing automobile fuel efficiency, H.R. 6. http://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_lists/roll_call_vote_cfm.cfm?congress=109&session=1&vote=00157. 23 June 2005.

[15] Contributions from oil industry based on Oil Change International, Follow the Oil Money database, data downloaded from oilmoney.priceofoil.org/index.php, 19 September 2008.

[16] Democratic National Committee. No Reformer: McCain Puts Lobbyists First While Americans Struggle. 12 September 2008.

[17] 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.

[18] 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.

[19] 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.

[20] Cloture on Reid Amdt Recovery Rebates and Economic Stimulus for the American People Act of 2008 S. Amdt 3983.http://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_lists/roll_call_vote_cfm.cfm?congress=110&session=2&vote=00008. 6 February, 2008.