Walker Statement on Export-Import Bank Decision

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Wauwatosa – Scott Walker, Milwaukee County executive and candidate for governor, today issued the following statement praising the decision by the Export-Import Bank to reconsider loan guarantees for project connected to jobs at Bucyrus International.

“While we’re pleased the Export-Import Bank is reconsidering their decision to deny loan guarantees to Bucyrus, it’s not enough for President Obama, Governor Doyle, and Mayor Barrett to sweep their consistent support of radical environmental job killing policies under the rug in time for their joint photo op today in Racine,” said Walker.  “As governor I won’t just find ways to sweep in at the last hour to protect Wisconsin jobs when a media firestorm breaks loose – I’ll work to improve the business climate for everybody, all the time, and will halt global warming policies supported by Gov. Doyle and Mayor Barrett that have the potential to kill not only the 300 jobs at Bucyrus, but the projected 43,000 jobs across Wisconsin.”

Yesterday, Walker sent a letter to President Obama which was published as a full page ad in the Racine Journal-Times.

The information on the Obama-Doyle-Barrett record of support for job killing global warming policies is below.

Obama, Doyle, Barrett Support of Job Killing Global Warming Policies

Doyle –

Proposed Global Warming Bill would cost Wisconsin 43,000 jobs. http://www.wmc.org/governmentaffairs/display.cfm?ID=2241

Barrett-

Regarding Jim Doyle’s Global Warming bill, Tom Barrett “says he will "re-engage" the issue as governor if new state legislation on global warming does not pass this year.” (Wispolitics, 12/18/09)

In 2000, Barrett voted in support of the Kyoto treaty which could have cost Wisconsin 66,400 jobs.  (Vote #323, 6/26/2000. Wisconsin State Journal, 12/14/1997)

Barrett also signed the US Conference of Mayors environmental agreement, which seeks to establish a system of cap and trade as well as achieving the goals of the Kyoto Treaty. (http://www.ci.mil.wi.us/ImageLibrary/User/cmses/012507_climateprotection...)

In addition, Barrett voted in 1993 for the for the BTU tax (Vote 199 5/27/1993), which would have cost Wisconsin 40,000 jobs. (-Milwaukee Sentinel July 15, 1993)
 

BREAKING - Dems offer to scale back climate bill
Politico
By: Darren Samuelsohn
June 29, 2010 01:20 PM EDT
http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0610/39165.html

Key Senate Democrats offered to scale back their ambitious plans to cap greenhouse gases across multiple sectors of the economy on Tuesday during a White House meeting with President Barack Obama and skeptical Republicans.

Sens. John Kerry and Joe Lieberman told reporters after the 90-minutee West Wing meeting that Obama held firm in his calls for a price on greenhouse gases. But he acknowledged that he could agree to a more limited climate and energy bill than what they previously drafted.

“We believe we have compromised significantly, and we’re prepared to compromise further,” Kerry said.

Lieberman said a couple of Republicans in the meeting promised to keep talking about the prospect of a less ambitious climate program that includes a price on carbon, though he didn’t name names.

Kerry and Lieberman released a climate bill last month that capped greenhouse gases from power plants, transportation and trade-sensitive manufacturers.

Reaction to their bill since the introduction has been lukewarm, and the duo said they would keep talking to both sides of the aisle over the coming weeks to try to find a deal capable of winning 60 Senate votes.

Asked if a power plant-specific bill was in the cards, Kerry replied, “There are any number of varieties. That could be one of them.”

Republican Sens. Lamar Alexander, Susan Collins, Judd Gregg, Richard Lugar, Lisa Murkowski, Olympia Snowe and George Voinovich also attended the White House meeting, but left with a much different message than their Democratic counterparts.

“We’ve got to take a national energy tax off the table in the middle of a recession,” said Alexander, the chairman of the Senate GOP conference.

Gregg, who previously has backed emission limits just on power plants, urged Democratic leaders to focus solely on an energy bill that includes incentives for renewables, but no price on carbon emissions. "Our goal should be reducing our dependence on oil from people don't like us,” he said.

Obama’s meeting with the senators, including Majority Leader Harry Reid, ran overtime. It was originally scheduled to last for under an hour.

The White House press office also abruptly canceled a brief pool spray where TV cameras and reporters were to be shuttled in for remarks from the president. White House officials said the cancellation was because of "scheduling considerations."

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