NEWS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Friday March 7, 2008

Shadegg applauds renewable energy, but then votes against it

Rep. John Shadegg wants voters to believe that he is on the forefront of renewable energy policy, even as he works to prevent solar energy innovation.

According to a statement just issued by Shadegg’s office, he invited a renewable energy expert to testify in Congress about the importance of Solana Generating Station, the largest solar energy plant in the world, to be built in Arizona. (http://johnshadegg.house.gov/News)

But last week, Shadegg voted against the very tax incentives that the project needs to move forward. (http://clerk.house.gov/evs/2008/roll084.xml) Solana officials said that without the tax credits, the plant cannot be built. (http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/news/articles)

“Shadegg’s statement was just window-dressing,” said Emily Bittner, spokeswoman for the Arizona Democratic Party. “Every time there is a vote about energy policy, Shadegg is on the wrong side. He doesn’t even believe that global warming is real, and he consistently votes against energy independence for this country. It takes a lot of nerve to take these positions even as Arizonans are paying near-record prices at the pump.”

Instead of voting for solar programs, Shadegg is pushing hydropower.

“I know Shadegg is out of touch, but has he forgotten that we live in a desert?” Bittner said. “We’ve got plenty of sun – not so much water.”

Additionally, Shadegg has long supported the Bush Administration’s policy to subsidize Big Oil companies and ignore clean energy companies. He voted for the 2005 energy bill that gave billions in subsidies to companies like ExxonMobil. He earned a 5 percent rating from the League of Conservation Voters. (www.lcv.org/images/client/pdfs/LCV_Scorecard_05_FINAL_lores.pdf)