In an attempt to distance himself from the Bush Administration’s approach to global warming on Monday, McCain unveiled his strategy to reduce greenhouse gas emissions at a wind turbine plant in Oregon, an ironic choice of locations for a candidate who doesn’t have a history of supporting wind-based energy.
As pointed out by the Wonk Room, McCain has repeatedly voted against renewable electricity standards that would require electric utilities to produce a certain amount of power from renewable resources like wind, solar, and geothermal:
- 2002 (Vote 50): Voted against 20 percent requirement.
- 2002 (Vote 55): Voted to gut 10 percent requirement.
- 2002 (Vote 59): Voted to gut 10 percent requirement.
- 2005 (Vote 141): Voted against a renewable portfolio standard.
- 2005 (Vote 363): Cast deciding vote to cut rural Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency program funding from $23 million to $3 million.
McCain also voted against renewable energy production tax credits:
- March 2006 (Vote 42): Voted against extension of tax credits.
- March 2007 (Vote 98): Skipped vote to extend tax credits.
- June 2007 (Vote 223): Skipped vote to extend tax credits.
- December 2007 (Vote 416): Skipped vote to extend tax credits — extension failed by one vote.
- February 2008 (Vote 8): Skipped vote to extend tax credits — extension failed by one vote.
We looked at John McCain’s environmental scorecard, a tool that gauges a lawmaker’s stance on the environment based on voting records, provided by the League of Conservation Voters: McCain scored a 0% in 2007, and has a 24% lifetime record.
