BIG OIL BACKER TO FLIP FLOPPING ENVIRONMENTALIST

Norm Coleman has taken nearly $265,000 from oil and gas interests. He strongly supported the Bush-Cheney plan to give billions in tax giveaways to oil and gas companies and even voted against renewable energy sources.

Coleman Has Accepted $264,900 from the Oil and Gas Industry.
Since running for Senate, Coleman has accepted $244,900 in campaign contributions from the oil and gas industry. [Center for Responsive Politics, ]

Coleman Supported $14.5 Billion in Energy Tax Credits and Subsidies. Including $2.6 Billion for Oil and Gas Companies.  In July 2005, Norm Coleman voted for an energy bill that made available $14.5 billion in subsidies and tax credits, including $2.9 billion for the coal industry and $2.6 billion for oil and gas companies. [HR 6, Vote #213, 7/29/05, Adopted 74-26]

Coleman Voted to Protect $5 Billion Big-Oil Tax Windfall. In May 2006, Coleman voted for a Republican $70 billion tax-cut bill. According to the Boston Globe, “Big oil companies won their push to keep intact accounting changes that stand to net them $5.1 billion” in the bill. [Vote #118, 5/11/06; Boston Globe, 5/12/06; Washington Post, 4/26/06]

Sided with Big Oil time after time
While supporting big oil, Coleman has also supported taking big steps backwards on important environmental issues and a few steps forward leading up to the election to appear environmentally concerned.

Voted Against Reducing Dangerous Greenhouse Gases: In October 2003, Coleman voted against an amendment that would require greenhouse gas emissions to be reduced to 2000 levels by 2010.[S139, Vote #420, 10/30/03, Rejected 43 – 55 (R: 6 – 45, D: 36 – 10]

Drafted Plan To Strip Control of Carbon Dioxide Emissions; Carbon Dioxide Would Not Be Considered A Pollutant Under Coleman’s Idea: In October 2006, Coleman suggested that Congress strip states, along with the federal Environmental Protection Agency, of much of their authority to control carbon dioxide emissions. Under a draft proposal circulatd by Coleman, carbon dioxide would not be considered a pollutant under the Clean Air Act. [Minneapolis Star Tribune, 10/21/06]

Like Bush, Coleman Opposed Better Fuel Efficiency Standards:

Coleman Criticized Wellstone During 2002 Campaign for Vote in Support of Fuel Efficiency Standards. In 2002, after Coleman’s opponent, Sen. PaulWellstone voted to raise fuel efficiency standards, Coleman branded Wellstone’s vote asanti-jobs. Coleman said, “This is about protecting jobs and protecting families.” [ Star Tribune, 3/14/02]

2003 : Coleman Voted with GOP Against Increasing Fuel Efficiency Standards. In July 2003, Coleman voted against an amendment that would have increasedCAFE standards to 40 miles per gallon by 2014, nearly doubling the required mileage atthe time. [ S 14, Vote #309, 7/29/03; Washington Times, 7/30/03]

2005 : Coleman Opposed Raising Fuel Efficiency Standards to 40 MPG. In 2005, Coleman voted against an amendment to raise the CAFE standard for cars, SUVs, and minivans to 40 miles per gallon by 2015. According to the League of Conservation Voters, the amendment “would have saved 3.1 million barrels of oil a day by 2020—as much oil as the U.S. currently imports from the Persian Gulf and could extract from the Arctic Refuge and the California outer continental shelf, combined—and would have annually kept more than 500 million tons of carbon dioxide out of the air.” [ HR 6, Vote #157, 6/29/05]

Nearing Re-Election, Coleman Changed His Position:

2006 : Coleman “Converted,” Changed Positions to Propose Increased Fuel Efficiency Standards. In 2006, Coleman said he had changed positions on increased CAFÉ standards and joined several other Republicans and Democrats to propose the Fuel Economy Reform Act of 2006. Coleman said, “I was not in favor of doing things with CAFE standards a few years ago when I got elected,” adding that he was “one of the converted” on the issue of CAFE standards. [ MPR , 8/1/06]

Coleman Flip-Flopped on Drilling in the Arctic Wildlife Refuge (ANWR). 
During his first term, Coleman has cast votes both for and against oil drilling in ANWR:

Coleman Voted for Budget that Included Provision to Open ANWR to Oil Drilling.  In March 2005, Coleman voted for the FY06 budget resolution that would give procedural protection to legislation authorizing oil drilling in part of ANWR in Alaska. [S Con Res 18, Vote #81, Adopted 51-49 (R51-4; D0-44), Anchorage Daily News, 3/18/05]

Coleman Supported FY2006 Defense Appropriation Bill that included Drilling in ANWR.  In December of 2005, Coleman voted to end debate on the FY2006 Defense appropriations bill that would allow oil and gas leasing in ANWR. [HR 2863, Vote #364, Motion Rejected, 56-44 (R52-3; D4-40), 12/21/05]

Coleman Voted Against Budget that Included Oil Drilling in ANWR.  In March 2006, with a looming election and voter discontent over his ANWR positions, Coleman voted against the FY2007 budget resolution that would give procedural protection to legislation authorizing oil drilling in part of ANWR.  [S Con Res 83, Vote #72 Adopted 51-49 (R48-7; D3-41, 3/16/06), Vote#74, Adopted 51-49 (R50-5; R1-43), 3/16/06]