GREENPEACE TURNS CONGRESSMAN DINGELL’S OFFICE INTO A CAR DEALERSHIP TO HIGHLIGHT INACTION ON GLOBAL WARMING
Group calls Dingell’s global warming plan a „road to nowhere”
DEARBORN, MI – Greenpeace today converted U.S. Rep. John Dingell’s office parking lot into a car dealership that sells the „Dingell Destroyer,” a line of cars with features the powerful Democrat supports: poor fuel efficiency, dirty fuel sources like liquid coal, and exemptions from EPA pollution standards. The group says the vehicles represent both Dingell’s empty rhetoric that keeps the House of Representatives from enacting global warming solutions and his misplaced loyalty to auto executives at the expense of the climate.
„Congressman Dingell needs to put the brakes on his misguided approach to global warming legislation,” said Aliya Haq, Global Warming Campaigner for Greenpeace. „As chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, he should lead the charge for real emissions reductions of global warming pollution and higher fuel efficiency standards for new vehicles. But instead Dingell is acting as the representative of auto industry executives, not the representative of the people of Michigan.”
This past summer, Dingell voted against a national renewable energy standard of 15 percent and stymied any significant increase to auto fuel efficiency standards, a concession to the auto industry from which he
enjoys overwhelming support. Dingell now says he wants a carbon tax and a cap-and-trade system to reduce emissions, but his public comments suggest he may try to derail meaningful progress in Congress on global
warming.
In a July interview on C-SPAN, Dingell announced he would propose the carbon tax but warned that voters might not be willing to pay it to limit greenhouse gas emissions. He said he would introduce the idea
„just to sort of see how people really feel about this.” Then last week Dingell added, „a carbon tax is going to carry with it a lot of pain.”
„Greenpeace wants no more rhetoric, no more stalling, and no more blind loyalty to the auto industry from Rep. Dingell,” Haq said. „Dingell is the gatekeeper in the House to comprehensive solutions to global warming. If he’s serious about action on climate change, then we’re with him. But if he’s stalling, it’s our job to tell the world.”
Greenpeace will air TV commercials in Michigan and Washington DC advertising the „Dingell Destroyer” and intends to increase the pressure on Dingell until he takes action on global warming.
NOTE: Pictures of today’s event can be found at:
greenpeace.org/dingell_destroyer_photos
Video can be found at:
usaphoto.greenpeace.org/dingell_destroyer_video
CONTACT: Daniel Kessler, Media Officer, 970-690-2728 on site
Jane Kochersperger, Media Officer 202-319-2493; 202-680-3798 cell
