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Attack Ad Blasts Schaffer For Oil, Gas Connections

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May 27, 2008 5:47 pm US/Mountain

Attack Ad Blasts Schaffer For Oil, Gas Connections

Reporting
Raj Chohan
DENVER (CBS4) ― The League of Conservation Voters has been running an attack spot on Republican senate candidate Bob Schaffer, blasting him for his connections to the oil and gas industry. AD: What kind of mark has Bob Schaffer made as a politician? He's left a definite imprint, accepting over $150,000 in campaign contributions from oil and gas interests.

The claim is true. According to the Federal Election Commission, Schaffer received more than $151,000 from oil and gas since 1996. That represents a fraction of the millions of dollars Schaffer has raised over three campaigns. Schaffer campaign manager Dick Wadhams did not dispute the ad's numbers indicating they were "in the ball park."

You can do your own math by going to the FEC Web site and looking up Schaffer's campaign donations over the years. See also Opensecrets.org for an easy to understand compilation of FEC data.

AD: and voting in Congress to give oil and gas interests over $13 billion in tax breaks

This claim is also true. In 2001 Schaffer voted for House Resolution 4, which included nearly $14 billion in tax breaks for the oil and gas industry. But it's not the whole story. The bill also included billions in tax incentives for research and development in renewable energy. Still, fossil energy did get more money than renewable energy, angering many environmental groups.

For text of the bill see thomas.loc.gov

For criticism from environmental groups see:

lcv.org
findarticles.com
0 static.uspirg.org/usp.asp?id2=5231&id3=USPIRG&
environmentillinois.org/reports/

AD: As a politician and corporate oil executive, Bob Schaffer has had all of his fingers in big oil

Here's the spin. The claim makes it sound like there's something inherently wrong with having worked in the oil and gas industry. In fact, the industry supports hundreds of thousands of American jobs, including thousands here in Colorado. Our economy still depends on fossil fuels and will for a long time.

For more information see state of Colorado (Office of Planning and Budget) fact sheet at colorado.gov

The League of Conservation Voters doesn't dispute that point, but their issue is renewable energy. The group wants more of it, and believes Schaffer's oil and gas background makes him less credible on the topic than his Democratic opponent Mark Udall.

For the record. Schaffer says he does support expanding renewable energy, but he also supports new development of fossil fuels, including domestic drilling.

AD: Colorado deserves cleaner representation in the Senate

What constitutes cleaner representation is a matter of opinion, and a matter for you to decide. I'm Raj Chohan, that's Reality Check.

(© MMIX CBS Television Stations, Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)

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