Graves Will Vote Against Giveaways to Trial Lawyers, Hollywood, and New York City

Press Release

Graves Will Vote Against Giveaways to Trial Lawyers, Hollywood, and New York City

Tells Leadership to Stop Playing Politics with the Wind Production Tax Credit

U.S. Congressman Sam Graves will vote against the Energy and Tax Extenders Act of 2008 today, a bill packed with giveaways to trial lawyers, Hollywood, and New York City.

"Nancy Pelosi and House Leadership need to stop playing politics with the wind production tax credit," Graves said. "You know the system is broken when an energy bill contains a $1.6 billion giveaway to trial lawyers. High energy prices are hurting Missourians. Congress needs to stop treating the wind production tax credit like an all you can eat pork buffet, and pass an energy bill that extends the wind energy tax credit and begins to wean us off of foreign oil."

Graves has been a longstanding supporter of wind energy and voted for the legislation that extended the wind production tax credit in 2002, 2004, 2005 and 2006. Currently, Graves is a co-sponsor of HR 197, a bi-partisan bill that would extend the wind production tax credit for another 5 years.

"Wind energy is part of the solution to ending our energy crunch," Graves said. "I will continue to fight to make sure that the wind production tax credit is extended. However, wind energy is only part of the solution. In order to break our dependence on foreign oil we have to increase American sources of energy. We currently import 15 million barrels of oil a day. This bill does nothing to increase our domestic supply."

Included in the Energy and Tax Extenders Act of 2008 were $1.5 billion in tax breaks for trial lawyers, and a provision to allow New York City to keep $2 billion in federal income tax withholdings. The bill also contained the dubious "green pork tax credit bonds," which can be used for subsidizing hybrid snowmobiles in Aspen, a fake rainforest in Iowa, and distributing copies of Vice President Al Gore's movie to schoolchildren.

"Giving trial lawyers a $1.6 billion tax break does nothing to reduce the price of energy for Missourians," Graves said. "While Congress is busy handing out tax breaks to trial lawyers, Missouri families continue to suffer from high energy prices. Congress needs to pass real energy legislation and give Missourians relief from the high cost of energy."

Energy and Tax Extenders Act of 2008 is scheduled to be considered by the House today.

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