Subject: [big campaign] FW: PRESS CALL TODAY: Carol Browner and Daniel Weiss on John McCain's Global Warming Speech
From: "Adam Jentleson @ American Progress Action" <[email-masked]>
To: "big campaign" <[email-masked]>
Date: Mon, 12 May 2008 11:26:08 -0400
List-Id: <bigcampaign.googlegroups.com>

FYI.  We'll be releasing a more comprehensive paper after his speech.  

________________________________

From: Center for American Progress Action Fund
[mailto:[email-masked]] 
Sent: Monday, May 12, 2008 10:22 AM
To: Adam Jentleson @ American Progress Action
Subject: PRESS CALL TODAY: Carol Browner and Daniel Weiss on John
McCain's Global Warming Speech

 <http://www.americanprogressaction.org/>  

For Immediate Release
May 12, 2008

Contact
Christina Hadley, 202.481.8182 
[email-masked]

PRESS CALL TODAY: Carol Browner and Daniel Weiss on John McCain's Global
Warming Speech

WASHINGTON, D.C. - TODAY, Monday, May 12, at 12:00 PM EDT the Center for
American Progress Action Fund will host a conference call with Albright
Group Principal and former Environmental Protection Agency Administrator
Carol Browner and CAPAF Senior Fellow Daniel J. Weiss to discuss John
McCain's environmental proposals and questions that remain unanswered
after today's speech.

CAPAF has identified three major questions that exist about John
McCain's environmental proposals. On today's call, Browner and Weiss
will discuss which were answered today, and which were not.

The questions are:

* Will McCain modernize his plan to reflect the latest science?

* Will McCain only support global warming legislation if it heavily
relies on nuclear power?

* Will McCain continue to favor tax breaks for oil companies while
opposing tax incentives for clean energy?

See backgrounder below for more information.

WHAT: PRESS CALL - McCain Global Warming Plan

WHEN: TODAY, Monday, May 12, 2008 at 12:00 PM EDT

WHERE: By telephone 866.682.6100, ID: McCain Global Warming Plan

WHO: Carol Browner, Principal, the Albright Group LLC, former EPA
Administrator, 1993-2001

Daniel J. Weiss, Senior Fellow, Center for American Progress Action Fund

Questions for Sen. McCain on His Global Warming Speech in Portland,
Oregon

On Friday, May 9th, Sen. McCain
<http://blog.washingtonpost.com/the-trail/2008/05/09/mccain_touts_enviro
nmental_rec.html>  said, "As president, I will dedicate myself to
addressing the issue of climate change globally." But is this rhetoric
or real?

1. Will McCain modernize his plan based on the latest science?

His 2003 bill, S. 280
<http://www.nrdc.org/legislation/factsheets/leg_07032601A.pdf> , would
achieve a 50% reduction below 2005 levels, while scientists believe that
we need an 80% reduction to stave off the worst impacts of global
warming.

2. Will McCain only support global warming legislation if it heavily
relies on nuclear power?

The Lieberman-Warner Climate Security Act
<http://www.nrdc.org/legislation/factsheets/leg_07032601A.pdf>  would
require a 62%-66% greenhouse gas reduction by 2050. The Senate plans to
debate it the week of June 2nd. This bill does not include subsidies for
nuclear power, while Sen. McCain's bill would provide $3.7 billion
<http://a4nr.org/library/nuclearrenaissance/01.2007-publiccitizen>  in
federal assistance. McCain
<http://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2008/04/john_mccain_on_bloomb
erg_tv.html>  has said that he would support Lieberman-Warner only "if
we have a dramatically increased role for nuclear power....nuclear power
has got to be a very big part of any effective action to reduce
greenhouse gas emissions."

On Friday, May 9th, the Washington Post reported
<http://blog.washingtonpost.com/the-trail/2008/05/10/will_mccain_back_wa
rming_bill.html>  that the "presumptive GOP nominee didn't say for sure
that he would vote for the [Lieberman-Warner] bill." He wants to add
subsidies for nuclear power plants - radioactive pork.

Nuclear plants are difficult and expensive to build without significant
federal assistance because large scale private lenders are reluctant to
invest in them due to huge costs, safety concerns, and radioactive waste
disposal problems.

According to the Congressional Research Service
<http://ncseonline.org/NLE/CRSreports/06jun/IB10041.pdf> , nuclear power
received $74 billion (2003$) in subsidies from 1948 to 2003. This was
more than half of all energy R&D. The Energy Policy Act of 2005
<http://www.citizen.org/documents/NuclearEnergyBillFinal.pdf>  makes
available another $13 billion.

It takes 10-15 years to build a nuclear power plant, but only 18-24
months to build a wind farm. A heavy reliance on nuclear power will
delay reductions of greenhouse gases, as well as increase reduction
costs compared to efficiency and renewables.

3. Will McCain continue to favor tax breaks for oil companies while
opposing tax incentives for clean energy?

On December 13, 2007, the Senate failed to end debate (invoke cloture)
on the energy bill because it would have shifted $13 billion in tax
breaks from big oil to wind, solar other renewable energy sources, and
efficiency. It failed by one vote, 59-40
<http://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_lists/roll_call_vote_cf
m.cfm?congress=110&session=1&vote=00425> , with 60 votes required. Sen.
McCain was the only senator to miss the vote. Afterward, his
spokesperson said that he would have voted with big oil
<http://www.forbes.com/2007/12/13/washington-congress-energy-biz-wash-cx
_bw_1213energy.html> .

On the campaign trail Sen. McCain made it clear that "I oppose
subsidies.
<http://www.johnmccain.com/informing/news/Speeches/05b932cd-b2e4-4863-a2
2f-6b84c893121a.htm>  Not just ethanol subsidies. Subsidies." He opposes
subsidies for renewable energy, though the looming expiration of
existing renewable energy tax incentives could cost over 100,000 jobs
<http://awea.org/newsroom/releases/Call_for_Immediate_Extension_of_Key_R
E_Incentive_042108.html> . Yet he continues to support subsidies for big
oil and nuclear power.

http://www.americanprogressaction.org/issues/2008/mccain_gw_questions.ht
ml
<http://www.americanprogressaction.org/issues/2008/mccain_gw_questions.h
tml> 

The Center for American Progress Action Fund
<http://www.americanprogressaction.org/>  is the sister advocacy
organization of the Center for American Progress
<http://www.americanprogress.org/> . The Action Fund transforms
progressive ideas into policy through rapid response communications,
legislative action, grassroots organizing and advocacy, and partnerships
with other progressive leaders throughout the country and the world. The
Action Fund is also the home of the Progress Report.

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Center for American Progress Action Fund, 1333 H St. NW, Washington, DC
20005-4707 United States

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