Today, Marco Rubio released his energy plan, promising to help American “take full advantage of our energy potential.” But his plan reads like a Koch Industries wishlist: Rubio pushes to end the oil export ban, build Keystone despite environmental concerns, and phase out the Renewable Fuel Standard.
In response to Rubio’s plan, American Bridge President Jessica Mackler released the following statement:
“Marco Rubio says his energy plan will bring the country into a the 21st century. However, the ever-absent senator’s policies aren’t original or groundbreaking. Rubio is advocating for outdated practices that would take us back decades in addressing climate change. Just like Jeb Bush and the rest of the GOP field, Marco Rubio’s plan promises to protect big oil and the Koch brothers, instead of growing clean energy and protecting the environment.”
Rubio And The Kochs
AFP’s 2015 “Wish List” Includes “Approve The Keystone XL Pipeline, Repeal The Oil Export Ban, Fight The New EPA Regulations, And Quit Trying To Ruin The Refreshingly Low Gas Prices By Suggesting Higher Gas Taxes.” According to Bloomberg Politics, “Americans for Prosperity’s 2015 wish list: […] On energy, approve the Keystone XL pipeline, repeal the oil export ban, fight the new EPA regulations, and quit trying to ruin the refreshingly low gas prices by suggesting higher gas taxes.” [Bloomberg, 1/15/15]
Cap-And-Trade
Charles Koch: “Cap-And-Trade Proposals, The Health Care Bill, Federal Bailouts And So-Called ‘Green’ Subsidies Are All Examples Of Corporate Welfare That Favor A Few Businesses At The Expense Of Most Others.”According to an article written by Charles G. Koch on the Koch Industries website, “It is ironic that our government made a point of reforming its welfare policies for individuals, but refuses to do so for corporations. As a result, we see many businesses – especially large ones – focused on profiting by the political means. Cap-and-trade proposals, the health care bill, federal bailouts and so-called ‘green’ subsidies are all examples of corporate welfare that favor a few businesses at the expense of most others. Such programs especially hurt consumers and taxpayers.” [KochInd.com, April 2011]
American Commitment President Phil Kerpen: The EPA’s “Clean Power Grab” Turns The Clean Air Act Of 1970 Into A “Global Warming Law” With Policies That Obama Had Previously Claimed Would Require Legislation. According to an opinion by American Commitment president Phil Kerpen for Log Cabin Democrat, “Yet this week, the president had his EPA issue the Clean Power Grab, a 1,560 page rule coercing states to adopt precisely the cap-and-trade policies he previously admitted required legislation from Congress. They did it with wildly creative lawyering to twist the Clean Air Act of 1970 into a global warming law.” [Phil Kerpen – Log Cabin Democrat, 8/8/15]
- Kerpen: The EPA’s Proposed Policies Would Result In “Steeply Higher Electric Bills And Major Manufacturing Job Losses” To Avert “Less Than 0.02 Degrees Celsius Of Global Warming By The Year 2100.”According to an opinion by American Commitment president Phil Kerpen for Log Cabin Democrat, “If they succeed, it would mean steeply higher electric bills and major manufacturing job losses for what, according to conventional climate models, would avert less than 0.02 degrees Celsius of global warming by the year 2100.” [Phil Kerpen – Log Cabin Democrat, 8/8/15]
AFP-NH State Director: NH Has “Among The Highest Energy Costs In The Nation” Thanks To “The Laws The State Passed That Hamstring Our Growth, Such As The Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative Cap-And-Trade Scheme And The Renewable Portfolio Standard…” According to an AFP-New Hampshire press release, “‘No one debates that New Hampshire has among the highest energy costs in the nation, and it is a true competitive disadvantage to growing our economy,’ said Greg Moore, AFP-NH State Director. ‘The laws that the state passed that hamstring our growth, such as the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative cap-and-trade scheme and the Renewable Portfolio Standard, are entirely reversible and if we are going to get the state’s economy headed in the right direction, we need to move back towards free market solutions that drive down costs and will bring employers back to New Hampshire.’” [AFP-New Hampshire Press Release, 9/29/14]
2015: Rubio Said He Would Not Pursue Cap And Trade Legislation As President. According to BuzzFeed, “At the debate, however, Rubio said he would not pursue that kind of legislation as President. ‘We’re not gonna destroy our economy the way the left-wing government that we’re under now wants to do,’ he said. Echoing comments he made earlier this year and in 2013, he added, ‘We are not gonna make America a harder place to create jobs in order to pursue policies that will do absolutely nothing, nothing to change our climate, to change our weather. Because America’s a lot of things, the greatest country in the world, but America is not a planet. And we are not even the largest carbon producer anymore, China is, and they are drilling a hole anywhere in the world that they can get ahold of.’” [BuzzFeed, 9/17/15]
One Year After Voting For The Plan, Rubio Denounced Cap-And-Trade
2009: Rubio Criticized Florida’s “Cap-And-Trade Scheme.” According to the Tampa Bay Times, “Against the backdrop of the climate change summit in Denmark this week, U.S. Senate candidate Marco Rubio is hammering rival Charlie Crist’s ‘cap-and-trade scheme’ — though he voted for a bill backed by the governor requiring state officials to devise such a plan. As the leader of the Florida House in 2008, Rubio presided over a unanimous vote in favor of directing the state Department of Environmental Protection to develop ground rules for companies to limit their carbon emissions. Now he’s questioning whether global warming is man-made.” [Tampa Bay Times, 12/10/09]
- Rubio Claimed His Position On Cap-And-Trade Had Not Changed, That The Bill Required The Department Of Environmental Protection Submit The Plan To The Legislature For Approval.According to the Tampa Bay Times, “Rubio said Thursdaythat his position on cap and trade — which allows companies that don’t reach emission caps to trade pollution credits — hasn’t changed. The Florida law’s requirement that the plan return to the GOP-led Legislature for final approval appeased the business lobby and, Rubio said, was guaranteed to stop it in its tracks. ‘It has worked out as it was designed to work out, which was to stop a cap-and-trade system in Florida,’ Rubio said Thursday.” [Tampa Bay Times, 12/10/09]
- Florida Wildlife Federation: Rubio’s Claim “Disingenuous.”According to the Tampa Bay Times, “‘That’s a bit disingenuous,’ said Jay Liles of the Florida Wildlife Federation, who lobbied for the bill along with Karnas and other environmental activists. ‘For Rubio to say that all along he knew it wouldn’t really come to pass is illogical. He set the stage for (cap and trade) to happen.’” [Tampa Bay Times, 12/10/09]
Rubio Opposed Cap and Trade Nationally
2015: Rubio Said “With Certainty” That Cap And Trade Would Have A “Devastating Impact” On Our Economy. According to E&E Publishing, “‘If we do the things [the Obama administration] wants us to do — cap and trade, you name it — how much will that change the pace of climate change, versus how much will it cost our economy?’ Rubio asked. ‘Scientists can’t tell us what impact it will have on reversing these changes, but I can tell you with certainty it would have a devastating impact on our economy.” [E&E Publishing, 4/22/15]
- PolitiFact: Rubio’s Claim “With Certainty” That Cap-And-Trade Would Have Devastating Impact On Our Economy Was “False.” According to PolitiFact Florida in the Tampa Bay Times, “Rubio said, ‘I can tell you with certainty (cap and trade) would have a devastating impact on our economy.’ Existing cap-and-trade programs have not proven to be ‘devastating’ in their economic impact. While estimates for proposed programs vary, most experts and analysts have found modest potential impact on the economy; some even show a positive impact. Based on the evidence, Rubio can’t be certain about the potential impact of cap and trade. We rate his claim False.” [Tampa Bay Times, 4/23/15]
2014: Rubio Said There Is No Point To The U.S. Limiting Carbon Emissions Because India And China Would Not Follow Suit. According to a press release from the office of Senator Marco Rubio, Rubio said, “‘We want the U.S. to be able to lead by example on all these climate change measures.’ What they don’t understand, or seem to want to ignore is that the largest contributors of carbon to the atmosphere today are developing countries like China and India. This notion that, ‘Somehow, if we destroy our economy by raising utility prices for Americans, they’re going to follow our example,’ is silly. They’re going to continue to grow until they feel like they’ve grown to a point where they feel like they can even entertain these sorts of things. They are far off from that. Americans are going to pay a terrible price for these sorts of unilateral executive actions the President is taking on energy.” [Official Website of Senator Marco Rubio, 6/2/14]
Renewable Energy Standards
AFP Joined A Coalition Which Called On Congress To End The Renewable Fuel Standard. According to a web post from AFP, “Americans for Prosperity is proud to join a coalition calling on Congress to end the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS).” [AFP Post via AmericansForProsperity.org, 3/23/15]
AFP: “The RFS, Which Mandates That Certain Amounts Of Ethanol Be Blended With Gasoline, Has Long Been Harmful And Leaves Taxpayers With Higher Fuel Costs And Food Prices.” According to a web post from AFP, “The RFS, which mandates that certain amounts of ethanol be blended with gasoline, has long been harmful and leaves taxpayers with higher fuel costs and food prices.” [AFP Post via AmericansForProsperity.org, 3/23/15]
National Journal: “AFP And ALEC Are Now Working In Tandem” To Repeal Renewable Energy Standards. According to the National Journal, “AFP and ALEC are now working in tandem to move repeal forward. In 2013, AFP’s North Carolina chapter unveiled a legislative wish list; on it was a request that lawmakers roll back the state’s renewable-energy standard. AFP describes the mandate as government meddling in the free market at its worst. ‘What you have here is a bunch of goody-goody liberals who want your money to put up solar panels because they want to tell you how to live,’ says Dallas Woodhouse, who was AFP’s North Carolina state director at the time of the repeal push. For AFP, the renewable-energy standards smack of crony capitalism as well. ‘This is the crack cocaine of subsidies. It’s like when people get hooked on drugs and they can’t get off,’ Woodhouse says. The organization also views the standards as a de facto tax that hits poor families the hardest. As Woodhouse tells it: ‘You have people who are struggling to get by, and now because of this, their electricity rates are going to go through the roof.’” [National Journal,11/22/14]
National Journal: AFP “Isn’t Throwing In The Towel. The Koch Empire… Is Now Pledging Another Run At The States’ Renewable Energy Standards.” According to the National Journal, “Americans For Prosperity isn’t throwing in the towel. The Koch empire, fresh from spending $100 million on the 2014 congressional midterm elections to help deliver the Senate into the hands of Republicans eager to unwind climate rules, is now pledging another run at the states’ renewable-energy standards. Special attention will be paid to Kansas and North Carolina, according to AFP’s national issues campaign manager, Christine Harbin Hanson. She says the group also plans to ramp up its repeal efforts across the United States next year. And this time, when state legislators weigh whether to buck the empire, they’ll have seen how the Koch network goes after Republicans who cross them.” [National Journal, 11/22/14]
Oil Export Ban
Mercatus Center Senior Fellow Donald Boudreaux Wrote an Op-Ed In The Philadelphia Inquirer Calling For An End To The Domestic Oil Export Ban. According to an opinion by Mercatus Center Senior Fellow Donald J. Boudreaux, “For 40 years, the federal government has prohibited the American energy sector from exporting more than a tiny fraction of domestically produced crude. Fortunately, a bipartisan group of legislators is pushing to end this harmful restriction. They shouldn’t waste any time. Selling American crude on the international market would boost domestic production while spurring economic growth at home and around the world.” [Donald J. Boudreaux Op-Ed, Philly.com, 7/29/15]
Boudreaux: The Oil Export Ban Is “Holding Back Both Our Energy Sector And The Economy.” According to an opinion by Mercatus Center Senior Fellow Donald J. Boudreaux, “But this ’70s-era policy isn’t merely anachronistic. It’s holding back both our energy sector and the economy. For starters, restricting oil exports weakens incentives to invest in exploration and production.” [Donald J. Boudreaux Op-Ed, Philly.com, 7/29/15]
Koch Companies Public Sector “Spent $2.7 Million On Lobbying On A Raft Of Topics, Including Energy Exports.” According to Fuel Fix, “A high-profile debate over the 39-year-old ban on exporting U.S. crude unleashed a wave of lobbying in the nation’s capital, government filings reveal. […] But bigger oil companies, including ConocoPhillips ($914,475), Shell Oil Co. ($2.3 million) got into the act, though BP’s $30,000 payment to Stuntz Davis and Staffier for work on a variety of fronts only included monitoring developments on the issue. Koch Companies Public Sector, which has as a subsidiary the Flint Hills Resources refining group, said it spent $2.7 million on lobbying on a raft of topics, including energy exports.” [Fuel Fix, 4/21/14]
American’s For Prosperity’s 2015 Wish List Included Repealing The Oil Export Ban. According to Bloomberg, “Americans for Prosperity’s 2015 wish list: […] On energy, approve the Keystone XL pipeline, repeal the oil export ban, fight the new EPA regulations, and quit trying to ruin the refreshingly low gas prices by suggesting higher gas taxes.” [Bloomberg, 1/15/15]
Flint Hills Resources Supported Lifting The Crude Oil Export Ban. According to the Washington Post, “Most of the nation’s refineries oppose lifting the restrictions on crude-oil exports because the limits have lowered the price of the light grades of domestic crude oil most commonly used in those facilities. Some of that oil travels by rail from North Dakota’s Bakken basin to relatively old northeast refineries. Among the refiners that have supported the bill are San Antonio-based Tesoro and the privately owned Flint Hills Resources, part of the Koch family’s empire.” [Washington Post, 10/9/15]
Keystone XL
American Encore Policy Director Patrick Hedger On Veto Threat Of The Keystone Pipeline: “The President Is Refusing To Cooperate With Congress On An Initiative That An Overwhelming Majority Of Americans, From Across The Political Spectrum, Agree On.” According to a press release from American Encore, “Today President Obama’s White House issued a veto threat against a bill to approve the Keystone XL Pipeline project, which enjoys bipartisan support in Congress and the American public. American Encore Policy Director Patrick Hedger offered the following comments: ‘After years of lamenting about a predictable lack of conservative cooperation with his far left agenda, the president is now refusing to cooperate with Congress on an initiative that an overwhelming majority of Americans, from across the political spectrum, agree on.’” [American Encore Press Release, 1/6/15]
AFP-Colorado State Director Dustin Zvonek: The Keystone XL Pipeline Would Have Created “Over 40,000 New Jobs,” Added “$172 Billion To The Economy” And Would Have Helped “Keep Gas Prices Low.” According to an opinion by AFP-Colorado State Director Dustin Zvonek in the Times-Call, “What if I told you there was an infrastructure project that would create over 40,000 new jobs, add $172 billion to the economy, help keep gas prices low — and, most importantly, wouldn’t cost taxpayers a single dollar? Now what if I told you that such a project does indeed exist — but that President Obama vetoed it. That’s what happened to bipartisan legislation that would have approved the long-awaited Keystone XL pipeline, which would bring oil from Canada to U.S. refineries along the Gulf Coast. After 6 long years of President Obama dithering on this privately-funded infrastructure project, the newly-elected Congress sent legislation to his desk that would have finally gotten this shovel-ready project underway — only to be met with obstruction and a refusal to compromise from the White House.” [Dustin Zvonek – Times-Call, 3/22/15]
AFP “Has Run Ads Attacking Bruce Braley Over His Position On The Proposed Keystone XL Pipeline” And Highlighting His Description Of Chuck Grassley, As A “Farmer From Iowa Who Never Went To Law School.”
According to the Washington Times “Americans for Prosperity, another Koch-funded group, has run ads attacking Mr. [Bruce] Braley over his position on the proposed Keystone XL pipeline and highlighting footage of him describing Sen. Chuck Grassley, Iowa Republican, to a group of donors in Texas as a ‘farmer from Iowa who never went to law school.’” [Washington Times, 9/28/14]
AFP-Louisiana’s “Key” Energy Policy Priorities Include Approving Keystone XL Pipeline, Repealing Oil Export Bans And Fighting “Burdensome EPA Regulations.” According to a press release from AFP-Louisiana, “Below are the three key pillars of Reform America 2015 , along with the key policy priorities the group is calling for: […]ENERGY[:] Approve Keystone XL Pipeline[,] Repeal oil export bans[,] Fight burdensome EPA regulations[,] Fight the gas tax hike[.]”[AFP-Louisiana Press Release, 1/16/15]
AFP-Nebraska State Director On Keystone XL: “Right Now, This Is A Bill And An Energy Policy Initiative That Could Benefit, Will Benefit, The Majority Of Americans Through Affordable, Reliable Energy.” According to CBS affiliate KMTV, “The pipeline has been a top issue in energy-rich Louisiana, but also here in Nebraska. ‘Right now, this is a bill and an energy policy initiative that could benefit, will benefit, the majority of Americans through affordable, reliable energy’ said [AFP-Nebraska State Director Matt] Litt.” [JRN.com/KMTV, 11/13/14]
Environmental Regulations
AFP Will “Continue With Ads About Environmental Regulations Putting Business Owners Under Water And Medicaid Expansion Causing Doctor Overload.” According to Bloomberg Politics, “Watch for AFP to continue with ads about environmental regulations putting business owners under water and Medicaid expansion causing doctor overload, [AFP President Tim] Phillips said.” [Bloomberg Politics, 11/17/14]
Phillips “Complained About Environmental Regulations ‘Slowing Down This Economy’ And Acknowledged That Americans For Prosperity Plans On Pumping $887 Million Into The Next Election.” According to the Santa Barbra Independent, “Looking forward to 2016, Phillips complained about environmental regulations ‘slowing down this economy’ and acknowledged that Americans for Prosperity plans on pumping $887 million into the next election.” [Santa Barbra Independent, 3/29/15]
Tennessean Editorial On The Kochs: “Invariably, Their Agenda Is Anti-Worker Protections, Anti-Environmental Regulation, Anti-Health Care Reform.” According to an editorial by the Tennessean, “The Kochs are famous nationally for using their fortunes to advance causes that promote their interests or simply their philosophy, and increasingly they are getting involved in state legislatures. Invariably, their agenda is anti-worker protections, anti-environmental regulation, anti-health care reform. In other words, ‘anti-’ the kinds of laws that majorities of Americans tend to support. And ALEC’s lobbyists have been busy in Tennessee for a few years now, usually drafting so-called model legislation such as the failed attempt to emulate Arizona’s unconstitutional 2010 immigration reforms and trying to spread fear of Muslims with anti-Shariah legislation.” [Tennessean – Editorial, 4/1/14]
Scranton Times-Tribune Editorial: The Koch Brothers “Oppose Environmental Regulation, Employee Health And Safety Oversight And An Increase In The Minimum Wage.” According to an editorial by the Scranton Times-Tribune, “The Koch brothers are a driving force in Republican Party policies tilted toward the 1 percent. They oppose environmental regulation, employee health and safety oversight and an increase in the minimum wage. They support the kind of government austerity policies that have created troubling economic deflation throughout much of Europe.” [Editorial – Scranton Times Tribune, 1/30/15]
Huevel: The Koch Brothers Are “Fierce Opponents Of Environmental Regulation,” And Had Republican Presidential Candidates Sign The “No Climate Tax’ Pledge” Sponsored By AFP According to an opinion by the editor and publisher of the Nation, Katrina Vanden Heuvel, for the Washington Post, “And the billionaire Koch brothers, fierce opponents of environmental regulation, remain immeasurably influential among Republican politicians competing for their support. Indeed, as The Post’s Catherine Rampell points out, White House hopefuls Marco Rubio, Scott Walker, Rand Paul and Ted Cruz have signed the ‘No Climate Tax’ pledge sponsored by the Kochs’ advocacy organization, American for Prosperity.” [Katrina Vanden Huevel – Washington Post, 6/16/15]