Nancy Pelosi, doyenne of expensive energy, receives Lump of Coal

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

WASHINGTON D.C. — The American Energy Alliance continued its inaugural tradition of awarding a “Lump of Coal” to the biggest enemies of affordable domestic energy production by announcing today’s recipient: former House Speaker and current Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-San Francisco).

“Rather than enumerate all the reasons why AEA believes Nancy Pelosi is right near the top of the list of affordable energy’s enemies, we’ve decided to let today’s recipient speak for herself.  Culling the vast archives of rhetoric that demonstrate the former speaker’s inability to understand global energy markets or the negative impacts that her legislative proposals have on the American economy proved a daunting task.  The sheer volume of her various inaccuracies, inanities, and ignorances is overwhelming,” noted AEA President Tom Pyle.

“We could have mentioned her fondness for crony capitalism and nepotism, or the failures of her Greening the Capitol initiative, or the simple fact that the American people rejected her energy and environmental policies and voted out a record number of her colleagues in the 2010 election cycle. As it is, we believe that her words speak for themselves and substantiate today’s honor.”

A selected list of Nancy Pelosi’s quotes on energy policy are below:

• “Natural gas is a clean, cheap alternative to fossil fuels.” 8.24.08
• “I’m trying to save the planet; I’m trying to save the planet.” 7.29.08
• “We must press for legislation that invests in clean, renewable energy and efficient technologies, reduces transit fares, helps Americans struggling with energy prices, rewards conservation, cracks down on oil speculators and oil price gouging, forces Big Oil to ‘use it or lose it’ on federal drilling permits, and transitions America to a new, more affordable energy future.” (Pelosi website)
• “America must not wait to begin the work of achieving real reductions in carbon emissions, even as the negotiations to implement the Durban accord continue.” 12.11.11
• “As the nation joins with California to adopt tough [fuel efficiency] standards, we recognize that this moment couldn’t have happened without California leading the way.  This move will encourage American entrepreneurship, as innovators reach to build the next generation of fuel-efficient vehicles.” 7.29.11
• “[Congressman] Markey has led the way, written the books, preached the gospel on how we can be much more energy efficient in our country, save the taxpayers’ dollars, and protect the consumers.”5.11.11
• “Investing in clean energy and tackling the climate crisis has long been more than an environmental issue.  It’s an economic issue — it’s about jobs in our country, creating good-paying clean energy jobs of the future.”  2.28.11
• “The Obama Administration’s initiative regarding drilling on public lands must ensure than any offshore and onshore plan proceeds in an environmentally and fiscally responsible manner.  Taxpayers who own these resources have been historically shortchanged from the huge profits received from drilling on public lands, and must receive a fair return in the future.” 3.31.10
• “Our ‘Green the Capitol’ initiative is a symbol of Congress’ commitment to the future.  We’ve reduced our reliance on fossil fuels with wind power and conservation, started printing the Congressional Record on 100 percent recycled paper, replaced traditional light bulbs with energy-efficient alternatives, and increased recycling across all Members’ offices.  So far, we’ve reduced our carbon footprint by 74 percent.  These steps save money for our nation’s taxpayer, create good-paying jobs, and cut pollution caused by global warming.” 1.29.10
• “[B]usiness leaders informed us that their businesses are thriving in the fields of energy efficiency and green technologies.  They stressed that the funding provided by Congress through our Recovery Package has been crucial to making the investments that are producing jobs for Americans and new products that promote energy efficiency, specifically smart grid technology.”  12.18.09
• “The science is clear: global warming is real, its impacts are being felt around the world, and carbon emissions present a danger to public health and the economy worldwide.” 12.7.09
• “The Obama Administration has taken solid steps forward this week to move our nation toward a clean energy future.  These announcements by the Administration show that the Recovery Act is working to create new clean energy jobs to put people back to work, revolutionize the way we power our economy, and drive American innovation.” 10.27.09
• “This is the moment we can unleash private sector investment in clean energy to create millions of new jobs and make American the global innovation leader.  It will promote clean energy technology — made it America.  It will put America in the lead in the global competition.  As we rebuild America in a green way, we will create jobs that cannot be shipped overseas.  We are creating a framework in which innovation can occur and that gives business certainty that we are moving to a clean energy future.  That will unleash innovation, investment, and venture capital to drive new technologies into the market.” 6.26.09
• “Yesterday, the House passed legislation allowing Americans to trade in their old, gas-guzzling vehicles and receive vouchers worth up to $4,500 to help pay for new more fuel-efficient cars and trucks.  When they trade in these cars, they will strength America’s auto industry, creating jobs and reducing layoffs, and save more than 250 million gallons of gas.” 6.10.09
• “We must change the energy marketplace so we can save our country and our planet.” 2.23.09
• “The [Obama] administration is stopping this headlong rush to open new offshore areas of drilling, calling for a thorough review, with much greater public participation.  And Secretary Salazar is wisely initiating a review of the potential for offshore renewable energy, and moving forward with long-stalled rules to ensure that offshore renewable energy projects can proceed in an environmentally responsible way.  We cannot drill our way to energy independence.” 2.10.09

The American Energy Alliance previewed the inaugural 2011 “Lump of Coal Awards” for energy stupidity, which will be announced December 8-23, 2011.  To learn more about coal’s important place in America’s energy future,click here.  To learn the facts about coal production in the United States, click here.

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