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New Repower America Television Ads Push Back on Opponents of Clean Energy Legislation

Posted on: Monday, 4 May 2009, 14:08 CDT

National and state-targeted spots go on offensive against opponent 'bellyaching,' highlight state-specific job creation potential of clean energy economy

WASHINGTON, May 4 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Today the Repower America campaign launched two new television ads at the national and state levels that push back on critics of climate and energy legislation and highlight the urgency of moving the nation toward a clean energy economy.

The new national television spot, entitled "Bellyaching," hits back at those standing in the way of clean energy and features a familiar face from the campaign's earlier ads. Seated at a diner, he begins: "I don't know about you, but I'm getting tired of the big oil companies always bellyaching that we can't afford clean energy." He continues: "If the big oil boys want to keep polluting and keep raising gas prices, maybe we're due for a new direction. Overdue if you ask me. Repowering America with truly clean energy won't just save God's green earth, it'll help get our economy back on its feet and more people back to work. The future's clean energy... So what are we waiting for?" The new national TV spot can be downloaded on the Repower America web site: www.repoweramerica.org.

Maggie Fox, CEO of the Alliance for Climate Protection, noted the urgent need for action in the face of opponents' misrepresentations. "It's time to stand up to the entrenched special interests that are using their typical scare tactics and distortions to protect their record profits and old way of doing business," said Fox. "The time to act is now. The new clean energy economy will create hundreds of thousands of jobs for American workers, make our nation safer and help hardworking families save money on their utility bills. The American people are ready to repower America -- together we can make it happen."

The ads come as opponents of comprehensive clean energy legislation with close ties to the oil industry are running radio spots featuring a widely discredited consumer cost statistic in key states. However, more recent analyses, including from the EPA, project that a market-based plan to close the carbon pollution loophole and return pollution allowance revenues back to consumers in the form of a rebate "could make the median household, and those living at lower ends of the income distribution, better off than they would be without the program."

A soon to be released study from the Union of Concerned Scientists, estimates that families will see average household savings of $900 a year in 2030, while businesses will, all together, save nearly $130 billion a year. And a study by Dr. Robert Pollin and the University of Massachusetts Political Economy Research Institute found that 2 million American jobs -- in trucking, welding, software engineering, industrial painting, machine tooling and many other industries -- can be created in just two years by driving investment in energy efficiency, clean energy and smart grid technology. The report and state-specific jobs data can be viewed at: http://www.americanprogress.org/issues/2008/09/green_recovery.html.

The same character in Repower America's new national ad is among those featured in new state-specific television ads, which also begin running today in 12 key states. The state-specific ads emphasize the potential for clean energy job growth within each state and urge viewers to contact their member of Congress and voice their support for comprehensive energy legislation currently under consideration.

For example, in California, the spot opens with text on screen that says: "It's time to get real, California." A construction worker updating an old building to be more energy efficient appears, saying: "It's about repowering America -- one of the fastest ways to cut our dependence on old dirty fuels that are killing our planet." The spot then cuts to a mechanic and solar farm worker talking about the potential for job growth as a "235,000 California clean energy jobs" graphic flashes on screen. The spot then returns to the farmer from the national ad, who urges viewers to "tell Congress to vote for clean energy jobs now" as an end card appears with contact information for Rep. Mary Bono Mack's (R-CA) office in Washington, D.C.

Alliance CEO Fox continued: "Manufacturing, trucking, construction and other core industries that are hurting across the Midwest and other states all stand to gain from a clean energy economy. It's no surprise that the people who profit mightily from dirty fuels like foreign oil are trying to scare people with fake numbers and doomsday scenarios. We've certainly heard that tune before. But Americans who have seen jobs leave their towns and who remember last summer's record gas prices know better. We need the jobs, savings and security that a clean energy economy will bring. And now is our chance to get them."

The new television ads come as the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Energy and Commerce considers draft climate and energy legislation proposed by Chairmen Henry Waxman (D-CA) and Edward Markey (D-MA). That legislation would control the pollution that causes global warming; create a national Renewable Energy Standard; launch a national efficiency standard; and support the construction of clean, competitive American automobiles and a smart electricity grid.

The state television ads will run in 12 states, including Arkansas, California, Georgia, Indiana, Louisiana, Michigan, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Texas, and Virginia. They build upon state-specific radio spots the Alliance has been running in key states since mid-April.

The state ads can be downloaded along with additional state-specific data on the potential for clean energy job creation and facts on clean and renewable energy in each state on the Repower state pages at: http://www.repoweramerica.org/state/.

About "Repower America":

"Repower America" is a project of the Alliance for Climate Protection, a nonprofit organization founded in 2006 to educate the American public about both the urgency and solvability of the climate crisis and to activate them to demand real solutions from elected officials.

SOURCE Alliance for Climate Protection

Source: PR Newswire

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