Kline Sides with Oil Companies Against Working Minnesotans

John Kline voted YES on the Energy Policy Act of 2005 – and thereby failed to deliver a responsible energy policy to Minnesota that moves America towards energy independence and energy security while providing affordable energy and a clean environment. By every measure, this energy bill that was passed was really just an energy bill in name only.

The bill fails to reduce dependence on Saudi Arabian oil and amounts to giving taxpayers money to large energy companies, including wealthy oil giants reaping record profits with crude oil near $60 a barrel and gasoline averaging well over $2 a gallon.

John Kline sided with these big oil companies such as Exxon over working Minnesotans who are paying more and more for a gallon of gas to get to work. Instead of working on an energy bill that encourages alternative fuel sources and energy conservation, John Kline voted for a bill which offers billions in tax breaks to wealth corporations of which nearly 9 billion is earmarked for oil and gas production, electricity reliability and coal pollution projects.

While we pay more and more for gas and taxes John Kline passes a bill that will increase our burden. This bill is rift with royalty relief, tax breaks, and loan guarantees for energy companies even as they report the largest quarterly profits of any corporations in the history of the United States. Exxon had a record profit last year and a 7.85 billion profit in just the last three MONTHS alone!

Isn’t it time to send John Kline the message that Minnesotans deserve the same or better than the wealthy oil companies? John Kline’s support of this bill was morally wrong. It shows his blind support of the Bush Administration instead of believing in the values of the working Minnesotans who elected him.