In a press release issued by the campaign for Congressional candidate Jon Powers this afternoon, Powers criticizes his rival Jack Davis for his close ties to "Big Oil" — including Davis' financial disclosure that he owns $35 million in "oil and energy stocks."
"We now know Jack Davis has up to 35 million reasons to vote against lower gas prices. Exxon Jack is no different than George Bush and the politicians in Washington, DC who are already bought and paid for by the oil companies. Western New York needs a Congressman who will look out for their interests, not Exxon/Mobil's bottom line" stated Powers Campaign Manager, John Gerken.
Powers released his own energy policy that says the candidate would support legislation that would reduce carbon emissions by 20 percent by 2020. He also says that oil companies should be required to install bio-fuel pumps at 25 percent of their stations and that the country should get 25 percent of its energy from renewable sources by 2025. Rather than giving so much in tax credits to oil companies, Powers wants to provide "tax credits to investors who empower scientists to develop renewable energy."
For more about Powers' energy policy, download the full document here.
UPDATE: Note, Davis has been invited to respond.
Mr. Powers wants to make it
Mr. Powers wants to make it mandatory that gas stations have 25% bio-fuel pumps? Just who is he to force people to do that? Most gas stations are not owned by the companies, but local people trying to make a living. Now he is going to order them to do what he wants? Where will they get teh money, the new pumps are not cheap? Will he tax me to give them the money? Don't say he'll tax the oil companies. They just pass the tax on to us. Business never pays tax!! They add it to the price of what they sell us. That's business 101, Mr. Powers. We pay enough now, don't try to help, you don't know how.
Most Towns and Villages around here have refused to allow wind energy. Is he going to force them to allow wind farms to meet his 25% renewable energy target? Or is he going to try and buy votes by saying Genesee County will be excempt?
I agree, end tax breaks for oil companies, but I don't want them for any business either. At the same time I don't want some guy who has almost no business experience telling business how to run. We have enough left wingers in Washington now
Actually, Jon Powers wants 25
Actually, Jon Powers wants 25 percent of all energy, including gas pumps to be serving bio-fuels, the oil companies subsidize the pumps at every gas station and he also wants to give tax credits to small business owners to reward them for investing in the energy policy of the future, including using bio-fuel pumps, no one is going to be left in the dust under the Powers energy plan.
In terms of financing the tax credits, we can end the tax-giveaways to oil comapanies and refocus the funding into areas that are investing in alternative energies, that way we can re-shift the general focus of our energy strategy. Right now, under the "pro-business" method, were paying over 4 dollars per gallon, its time for a new plan. The only people that this is going to be a boon for is major oil companies, who will probably see a hairline fracture in their windfall profits, and it will force them to start investing in more efficiant and renewable fuels, there will be profit incentive to do so.
Just because someone has been successfull in owning a business doesn't meant that their remotley qualified to be a congressman, if Jack Davis gets elected he'll be one out of 435, and given the way that Jack has said that he'll approach the political leadership in both parties, no one will want to (nor will they) listen to his agenda or provide badly needed help to Western New York, in short, you need someone who will go to Congress with a consensus building mindset and someone who will work with others. That man is Jon Powers, by far.
Not sure where you get your
Not sure where you get your info from, but its extremely rare for a local business or individual to sell gasoline. Most of the pumps in this area are owned by regional or national entities, like Yellow Goose, Hess, or Kwik-Fill. The margin on retail gasoline sales, always extremely thin, is less now than it was when gas was $2.35 a gallon. There's no way a service station could survive on that margin without the buying power necessary to have a store filled with groceries, coffee machines, Lotto and the rest to make sufficient margin to remain profitable.
Let's say your right. With
Let's say your right. With the low profit margin that I agree with you that station owners have, where does Mr. Powers get off saying he'll mandate what they sell and mandate that they will have to buy new pumps. It's not his station (or store). If there is money to be made, the owners will make a business decision. They don't need a guy who has never run one telling him he'll pass laws because he knows best. Both political parties have enough people doing that now. I started out supporting Mr. Powers, but I see now he just wants to tell me how run my life. I think I'll look for another candidate.
mr.powers does not tell you
mr.powers does not tell you that with this bio fuel your gas mileage will decrease..this is america not russia..we should be able to sell what we want at our stores..not what government dictates..the public will buy what works for them...so we should use our food resourses for fuel not food..it would be nice if politicians would educate us on what these alternitives mean ..and not dictate...we should get to deciede what best for us..
Peak oil and global warming
Peak oil and global warming are two sides of the same coin; the tragic dependence of our current civilization on fossil fuels. We need to replace our fossil-fuel based civilization with a renewable energy based one. An Apollo-like plan needs to be implemented and the sooner the better for the sake of all of us. I commend Jon Powers for coming out with an energy policy that actually has a plan to address these issues. The Bush Cheney secret Energy Task Force that favored the business side was nothing more than a catalyst to the dire straights that we are in now. Legislation is sorely needed and needed fast. The upside is that new businesses will emerge and the spirit of American ingenuity will ignite in the process, but I believe that this energy crisis needs legislation.
Gas prices are creeping closer and closer to $5 a gallon. And will it stop there? I don't believe so. Some of us just can't afford to ride this out and wait and trust that businesses will bring all the answers and that the marketplace will work this thing out. I think this crisis is too big and needs intervention.
Mandating 25 percent biofuel
Mandating 25 percent biofuel pumps shouldn't be a revolutionary goal. Biofuels are more than just corn-based ethanol. You can get biofuel from used frying oil.
Taxes aren't driving up the price of gasoline either. Say what you will, but the market determines the price. Taxes come after the market sets the price. If the market says gasoline is $3, then you apply the taxes. This is why the whole gas tax holiday idea was terrible. Gas prices are now well over $4. Cut the taxes away and gas is still in the $3.40 or $3.50 range. It was at those prices that a gas tax holiday was first being discussed. See how ridiculous that idea was? All the pro-gas tax holiday people needed to debunk their theories was time. Time has told them they were wrong for suggesting such a gas tax holiday.
Also, most towns and villages oppose wind energy because they are (A) Not educated on wind energy and (B) They see wind energy as another "big corporation" moving in. I'm sure I could name other reasons, but those are two of the big ones. I have debated wind energy with anti-wind energy people and they will never debate the technology of wind energy with you. Why? Because they don't know it. All they know is that wind turbines are "ugly" and they don't want them "in [their] backyard."
Small businesses should get tax breaks. I don't believe a Wal-Mart should get Empire Zone tax breaks. I also don't think oil companies should get tax breaks when they are making $10 billion a quarter (Exxon Mobil). Small businesses and corporations are different. We need to remember that.
Lessen up ppl, THERE IS NO
Lessen up ppl, THERE IS NO GLOBEL WARNING THAT MAN IS CAUSING NOR CAN FIX,The earth goes through changes normality even before man was here. the ice age is still deciding and there is not a thing man can do about it.change is slow so dont worry about it.
First of all, its Global
First of all, its Global Warming, not global "warning", second of all, theres scientific documented evidence to prove it...even the most rabid of Republicans now admit that theres "climate change". The medieval warming periods did not have the persistent temperature increases without moving down that the current increase does.
Saying that pumping billions of tons of chemicals into the atmosphere will have no impact would require the suspension of disbelief, in other words, its a ridiculous notion.
I have my personal opinions on how to solve the problem, but to deny that there's a problem that we can fix is absurd.
Wow! Read this article in
Wow! Read this article in todays New York Times.
http://topics.nytimes.com/top/news/science/topics/globalwarming/index.h…
While I always try to keep an open mind -- I ask you can all of these scientists be wrong? For my children's and grandchildren's future I will err on the side of science. While change is slow, the evidence is pretty staggering that the green house gas emissions are playing a role in the heating of our planet.
Here's a site with some scientific information -- http://www.pewclimate.org/global-warming-basics
But how to explain the fact
But how to explain the fact that over from Jan. 2007 to Jan. 2008, global temperatures dropped to early 20th century levels?(<a href="http://wattsupwiththat.wordpress.com/2008/02/19/january-2008-4-sources-…;)
I remain conflicted and uncertain -- in a warmer globe, for example, Southern California would be getting more rain, not less.
While some parts of the global ice caps melt, others grow.
Well before human-driven climate change could have made a difference, middle America suffered a three year drought (leading to the Dust Bowl).
But if you look at the temp. graphs from 1880 to 2000, it's a pretty convincing visual argument that the world was getting warmer. And it does happen to coincide with industrialization.
you cant believe scientists
you cant believe scientists that are government supported, do some simple research there is no global warming that man is causing.but weathere changes scientists have told us for years do not cut down the rain forest and we are all over the world, that controls the weather.
Even If Global warming is
Even If Global warming is Proven not to be man made, why would it not be important to reduce pollution, dependence on oil, cancer causing chemicals etc. Maybe global warming is exagerated, but it doesnt take a scientist to see the problems with our enviornment and how its causing man to suffer and guess what, its MAN MADE.