|
|
Press Releases
The Truth about Mark Kirk's Record
Tuesday, May 2, 2006
Mark Kirk's recent claims that he supports lowering gas prices and cracking down on price gouging are contradicted by votes he cast only six months ago, when gas prices rose following Hurricane Katrina. This deception is part of his pattern - Mark Kirk talks like a moderate, but votes like a conservative. Here are some of the highlights of Kirk's recent energy record:
Kirk Supports Billions in Tax Breaks for Big Oil.
Last Thursday, Mark Kirk voted against a motion to remove certain oil-company tax breaks from a bill (HR 4297) now pending in a House-Senate conference committee. The breaks are valued at $5 billion over five years. They concern accounting rules such as those for computing taxes on oil inventories and deducting royalties paid abroad from U.S. tax obligations [H R 4297,Roll Call #109, 4/27/06].
Kirk Opposed Cracking Down on Price Gouging & Lowering Gas Prices.
In September and October of 2005, Kirk voted against a measure to provide the Federal Trade Commission with new authority to investigate and prosecute those that engage in predatory pricing, from oil companies on down to gas stations, with the emphasis on those who profit the most. This measure would have applied to price gouging of gasoline and natural gas, home heating oil and propane. [HR 3893, Vote #517, 10/7/2005; Reps. Stupak & Boucher, Remarks, Congressional Record, pg H8780, 10/7/05]
Kirk Took $35,900 from the Oil & Gas Industry.
Between the 2000 cycle and through 2005, Kirk took $35,900 from oil and gas industry PACs and employees, including contributions from ExxonMobil, ChevronTexaco, BP, American Gas Assoc., Occidental Petroleum, and the Petroleum Marketers Association of America. The oil and gas industries know who their friends are. [Center for Responsive Politics, www.opensecrets.org]
Kirk Voted for Energy Bill that Gave Billions to Oil and Gas Industries.
In 2005, Kirk voted for the energy conference report that includes billions in subsidies and tax breaks for oil and gas industries. [HR 6, Vote #445, 7/28/2005; Washington Post, 7/30/05]
Kirk Sacrifices Environmental Standards to Increase Oil and Gas Industry Profits.
In 2006, the League of Conservation Voters gave Mark Kirk's environmental record an abysmal 39% rating. Nearly half of Kirk's anti-environment votes came when he chose the interests of the oil and gas industries over those of our environment. Kirk voted twice in 2005 to allow oil drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. [HRC#149, 4/28/05; HRC #666, 12/19/05] Kirk also voted to relax environmental regulations for oil refineries in 2005 [HRC#115, 4/20/05]. Kirk supported the energy conference report [HR6 #145, 7/28/05] that weakened key environmental protections for oil and gas drilling and added billions in new subsidies for coal, oil and nuclear power. For Mark Kirk's complete LCV scorecard, click here.
Back to Press Releases Download PDF
|
|
