Just Before Earth Day, Oregonians Protest Gordon Smith's Corporate Sponsored Opposition To Climate Change Bill
Democratic Party of Oregon
232 NE 9th Ave.
Portland, OR 97232
(503) 224-8200
For Immediate Release Contact: Marc Siegel
Monday, April 21, 2008
Just Before Earth Day, Oregonians Protest Gordon Smith's Corporate
Sponsored Opposition To Climate Change Bill
Gordon Smith has become a vending machine for votes. Special interests insert money and Gordon Smith produces any vote they want.
Portland - On the eve of Earth Day, protestors in Eugene and Medford demanded that U.S. Sen. Gordon Smith (R-OR) stand up to his corporate donors and stop opposing important climate change legislation.
"Oregon cannot afford to have a senator whose special interest contributors have bought his opposition to fixing climate change," State Rep. Paul Holvey (D-Eugene) said in Eugene. "We can't let Gordon Smith get away with serving the corporate interests rather than the people's interest."
"Why doesn't Gordon Smith think Climate Change is a problem? Because he's paid to ignore this crisis," Allen Hallmark said in Medford. Hallmark is a Southern Oregon organizer for the Stop Gordon Smith Campaign. "Smith has taken millions from Big Oil and other special interests who control his votes. In return, Smith has voted twice to keep $5 billion in tax breaks for Big Oil and oppose important climate change legislation."
Smith's donors have bought his opposition to the Lieberman-Warner Climate Security Act. Oregon's other U.S. Senator, Democrat Ron Wyden, is a co-sponsor of the bill to combat climate change and the bill has bi-partisan support.
But Smith won't support this important legislation. Smith has taken millions of dollars from the special interests who oppose this legislation, including hundreds of thousands from Big Oil. For more information on how special interests control Smith's votes, click here.
The bill would be an important step in combating climate change. It would cap greenhouse emissions and make appliances and buildings more energy efficient, according to the Register Guard.
(The Register Guard Editorial, 2-28-08)
Both protests were held outside Smith's senate offices in Eugene and Medford. They were organized by the Stop Gordon Smith Campaign.
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232 NE 9th Ave.
Portland, OR 97232