Setting the Record Straight: While Congressman Brown Talks About Energy, Senator Mike DeWine Leads and Gets Things Done

Setting the Record Straight: While Congressman Brown talks about Energy, Senator Mike DeWine leads and gets things done

Contact: Brian Seitchik at (614) 229-5380

The contrasts between Senator Mike Dewine and Congressman Sherrod Brown were clear yesterday when Brown told the Akron Beacon Journal, "From a hydrogen plant in Akron to a biorefinery in Lima, Ohio can be at the center of our fight to wean the U.S. off of foreign oil."

As DeWine points out, "Congressman Brown just talks about energy policy. I am actually doing something about it to help move Ohio into the future. That is a fundamental difference between Congressman Sherrod Brown and me."

The hydrogen plant Congressman Brown praised has benefited from millions of dollars in appropriations provided by Senator DeWine. Congressman Brown, on the other hand, has not helped secure any funding for the facility, and has not been a leader in providing funding for the emerging fuel cell industry in Ohio.

"I have worked as a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee to help provide over $10 million in seed funding for future energy industries in Ohio, and I will continue to work together with Democrats and Republicans to pass legislation that moves Ohio and our Nation in this direction as quickly as possible."

Furthermore, Congressman Brown mentions the ethanol plant currently under construction in Lima, which will benefit from renewable fuels and refinery incentives included in the Energy Policy Act -- a bipartisan bill opposed by Congressman Brown, but supported by 75 Democrats, including Rep. Ted Strickland. Congressman Brown voted against this bill despite important ethanol and biofuels mandates that will reduce our dependence on Middle East oil and strengthen Ohio's agriculture economy.

"I voted for the energy bill and have consistently backed up my support for clean and renewable fuels as a means to increase our energy independence with action. These technologies present an even greater opportunity for Ohio to attract new jobs and economic growth and to be a leading provider of the energy solutions of the future."

"Congressman Brown talks about Ohio's role in alternative energy, but his record shows that he is either unable or unwilling to reach across the aisle to find real solutions to real problems. I look forward to helping Ohio cement its position at the forefront of the clean and renewable energy industry in the years ahead."

http://www.mikedewine.com/inthenews/view_article.cfm?id=66