From the group that brought you ‘horrifying’ ads and smears that ‘smell like shit,’ Senator Cory Gardner’s Washington allies are back at it again, repeating ‘misleading’ claims that independent fact checkers have already debunked.
“John Hickenlooper is the only candidate in this race who has demonstrated he will protect our clean air and water and understands the urgency of climate change, and that’s why he is endorsed by leading environmental groups including the League of Conservation Voters and Sierra Club,” said Hickenlooper for Colorado press secretary Ammar Moussa. “Mitch McConnell can’t wash away Senator Gardner’s record of standing with Trump 100% of the time while he lets polluters sprew toxins into our air and water, rolls back environmental protections, and passes massive tax giveaways for corporate polluters.”
Meanwhile, Gardner and President Trump continue to roll back protections for clean air and water while taking advantage of the coronavirus pandemic to give Big Oil free rein to pollute. An AP investigation earlier this week revealed that Gardner supported Trump as his EPA waived environmental protection requirements over 3,000 times since March at the oil and gas industry’s request.
Get the facts about Gardner’s Washington allies’ latest debunked smear below:
FACT: Suncor gave a grant to the City of Denver’s tree-planting initiative in 2006–not to John Hickenlooper personally or politically as the ad falsely claims.
- “Suncor gave the city a grant worth a million dollars over five years. It was for the Mile High Million, an initiative to plant a million trees in the Mile High City. It wasn’t a secret, Suncor’s logo is seen multiple times in a city brochure for the program. And to be clear, this happened in 2006, nine years before the hydrogen cyanide issue.” – KDVR Truth Check
FACT: Hickenlooper signed legislation to limit the tax breaks large companies could claim through this program. The law was praised by legislative leaders as a way to mitigate giving tax breaks to oil and gas companies.
- The bill Hickenlooper signed in 2013 was praised by legislative leaders as a way to mitigate giving tax breaks to oil and gas companies. – Denver Business Journal
- The bill gave businesses tax credits for hiring employees, training new workers and offering health insurance, which encouraged job growth in low income areas. – Denver Business Journal
- Suncor earned millions of dollars more in these tax credits before Hickenlooper signed the law to crack down on them. – Denver Post
- The tax breaks cited in this ad began in 1986–decades before Hickenlooper was in office.
FACT: The State of Colorado has no authority through federal law or state regulations to control emissions of hydrogen cyanide and could only limit emissions of it by voluntary agreements.
- “Verdict: Misleading…Suncor was legally allowed to set its own hydrogen cyanide limit in 2015. The Environmental Protection Agency did not have a maximum allowable limit for the gas. Therefore, the law allowed Suncor to suggest its own limit to the state, which it ultimately did.” – KDVR Truth Check
- The Air Quality Control Division does not have the authority from federal law or state regulations to control hydrogen cyanide. Limits were only allowed if Suncor voluntarily agreed to emission standards. – Denver Post
- “There’s no federal regulatory limit on hydrogen cyanide.” – Denver Post
- Before the Air Quality Division negotiated limits on the hydrogen cyanide Suncor could emit in 2018, no limit existed and Suncor was permitted to emit unlimited hydrogen cyanide and the state had no recourse.
- The Air Quality Division consulted with state health experts including epidemiologists to set the emissions level.
FACT: As governor, John repeatedly held Suncor accountable and fined them millions of dollars for violations
- Hickenlooper’s administration fined Suncor for $2.2 million in 2012 for environmental pollution.
- State of Colorado and Department of Justice forced Suncor to pay Colorado $1.9 million for a 2011 toxic spill into Sand Creek.
FACT: John Hickenlooper has a clear record of tackling climate change and protecting our clean air and water
- As Governor, Hickenlooper brought industry groups and environmentalists together to make Colorado the first state to limit methane pollution from oil and gas wells. Colorado’s “gold standard” rules were estimated to cut the equivalent of 340,000 cars’ worth of emissions and cut methane leaks by over half.
- In the wake of President Trump pulling the United States out of the Paris Climate Accord, Hickenlooper took action to commit Colorado to upholding those standards, issuing an executive order to cut greenhouse gas emissions by at least 26%, maximize renewable energy use, and increase electric vehicle use.
- Similarly, when Trump announced his repeal of the Clean Power Plan, Hickenlooper recommitted Colorado to its goals of reducing emissions.
- As Governor, John Hickenlooper oversaw the retirement of two coal plants that were replaced with wind and solar.
