McCain Myth Buster: John McCain and the Environment
May 12, 2008
On the campaign trail John McCain casts himself as a conservationist and environmentalist, saying we have a "sacred duty to be proper stewards of the resources upon which the quality of American life depends." Yet at the same time, McCain's fundraisers and advisers helping his campaign have been on the wrong side of the issues. And a little investigation reveals that the lobbyists raising money for and running McCain's campaign have earned $13.1 million dollars lobbying for oil companies and worked for companies responsible for oil spills, water and air pollution. [johnmccain.com, accessed 5/11/08]
As is so often the case with John McCain, this is yet another example of his effort to have it both ways on an issue. But how can Americans trust him to be a good steward of the Earth when the people advancing his political career are on the wrong side of the issues?
Steven Betts: CEO Of Firm With Record Of Air Pollution
- Steven Betts. President and CEO Of SunCor Development, Betts is a $100,000 bundler ("Trailblazer") For McCain's campaign. [Hoovers.com (http://www.hoovers.com/suncor-development/--ID__121765--/free-co-factsheet.xhtml), accessed 5/10/08; Public Citizen (http://whitehouseforsale.org/bundler.cfm?Bundler=16033), accessed 5/10/08]
- 2006: SunCor Fined For Multiple Instances Of Air Pollution. "SunCor Development Co. signed a settlement agreement on July 12, 2006 for $39,343. The agreement encompasses eight alleged air pollution violations including failure to limit (dust) emissions, failure to post accurate contact information on project sign, failure to clean up trackout and four instances lacked a suitable trackout control device." [Maricopa County (AZ) Air Quality Department press release via US States News, 8/1/06]
Alfred Hoffman: CEO Of Firm Working To Undermine Everglades Protections
- Alfred Hoffman Jr. Hoffman is former CEO of WCI Communities and is a $100,000 bundler ("Trailblazer") for McCain's campaign. Hoffman retired from the firm in 2005. [Washington Post, 12/10/07; Public Citizen (http://whitehouseforsale.org/bundler.cfm?Bundler=708), accessed 5/10/08]
- 2004: Alfred Hoffman Was Prominent In Developers' Attempt To Undermine Restoration Of Florida Everglades. In 2004, with Florida trying to implement an agreement with the federal government to "give the Everglades the water it needs to survive," "the state's power to fulfill that pledge [came] under attack from developers." Under the plan, the Everglades would get water from a $8.4 billion restoration project needed for its existence. But the plan was opposed by the Association of Florida Community Developers, which included Hoffman. The group "filed a legal challenge against the state Department of Environmental Protection, which had proposed a rule governing the water protections. A year ago, the same association championed a bill that would have erased most of the state's ability to rule water off-limits to people." [Palm Beach Post, 4/26/04]
James Nicholson: CEO Of Company Dumping Chemicals Into River
- James Nicholson. Nicholson, the President and CEO of PVS Chemicals, Inc. is a $100,000 bundler ("Trailblazer") for McCain's campaign. [Detroit Free Press, 12/11/07; Public Citizen (http://whitehouseforsale.org/bundler.cfm?Bundler=739), accessed 5/10/08]
- 2002: Company Settles Suit by New York State For 70+ Illegal Discharges, Including Sulfuric Acid Into River. In 2002, New York State and a division of PVS Chemicals "settled a lawsuit, filed by the state, charging it with illegally discharging sulfuric acid into the Buffalo River." The firm agreed to a fine as well as to pay for upgrades to avoid future illegal dumping. According to Assistant Attorney General Timothy Hoffman the suit covered "about 70 violations of the company's discharge permit, dating to the mid-1990s. Mikol said the settlement covers the illegal river dumping, as well as illegal emissions into the air and ground water around the plant. … The leaks into the cooling water turned that water acidic, and the water then was sent back into the river." Some of these violations violated the federal Clean Water Act according to the state. [Buffalo News, 4/28/02; PVS Chemicals Inc. website, http://www.pvschemicals.com/locations.asp]
- A Long History Of Illegal Pollution. Earlier in the 1990s, the company acknowledged a 1991 leak of "more than 14,000 pounds of sulfur dioxide to escape from its Lee Street plant" and another leak in 1996. [Buffalo News, 11/18/92, 7/29/97]
Donald Bren: Runs Company Polluting Fragile Dolphin Habitat
- Donald Bren. Bren, the President and CEO of The Irvine Company is a $250,000 bundler ("Innovator") for McCain's campaign. [Irvine Company website, (http://www.irvinecompany.com/aboutus/News.asp?type=officers#); Public Citizen (http://whitehouseforsale.org/bundler.cfm?Bundler=739), accessed 5/10/08]
- 2000: Officials Order Company To Stop Discharging Polluted Materials Into Crystal Cove State Park Area. In 2000, regional water officials in California ordered the Irvine Company to "stop sending polluted discharge into the pristine waters off Crystal Cove State Park. Such fragile ecosystems are 'biological communities of such extraordinary value that no risk of unnatural stresses . . . can be entertained,' said Mark Smythe, chief of the Santa Ana Regional Water Quality Control Board's coastal storm water unit. The ocean off Crystal Cove, a dolphin-birthing ground north of Laguna Beach, is recognized by the state as one of 34 areas of biological significance and receives special protection under the state's Ocean Plan." [LA Times, 11/17/00]
McCain Fundraisers and Advisers Friends to Big Oil. McCain Fundraisers and advisers have earned over $13 million dollars lobbying for oil and related interests. [Lobbying relationships and dollar amounts from Senate Office of Public Records filings; McCain campaign roles from McCain Campaign Release; The Politico [3/4/08]; whitehouseforsale.org]
After casting himself as a "Maverick" in 2000, the new John McCain is walking in lockstep with President Bush, pandering to the right wing of the Republican Party, and embracing the ideology he once denounced. On the campaign trail McCain has callously abandoned many of his previously held positions, even contradicted himself, in a blatant attempt to remake himself into a candidate Republicans can accept in 2008. So just who is the real John McCain? The Democratic National Committee will present a daily fact aimed at exposing the man behind the myth.
