Salazar Responds to Ad Against Climate Change Vote

by: Colorado Pols

Tue Sep 08, 2009 at 16:06:28 PM MDT

U.S. Rep. John Salazar Friday responded to a League of Conservation Voters TV ad campaign blasting him for voting no on the Waxman-Markey climate change bill by defending his record on green jobs creation and criticizing the bill for its potential economic impacts for Colorado families.

"I have a strong track record of creating green jobs and investing in renewable energy both in Colorado and across the nation. I am very proud of that record," Salazar said in an e-mail response to the Colorado Independent. "While I strongly agree the issue of climate change must be addressed, this specific bill would have placed a disproportionate financial impact on individual households in Colorado's Third Congressional District and, for that reason, I could not support it."

Salazar, a blue-dog Democrat from the largely rural and agrarian Western Slope, is the brother of Interior Secretary and former U.S. Sen. Ken Salazar. He has taken a pounding from green groups for being the only Democratic member of the Colorado delegation to vote against the bill, which passed by a scant 7-vote margin of 219-212 in June. The Senate will take it up after the August recess.

The ad challenging Salazar's vote began running last week, and is a good example of how progressive groups are becoming less afraid of going after Democrats who have been not-so-supportive of certain progressive ideals.