Bob Schaffer (Colorado)

Rep. Udall's Republican opponent, Bob Schaffer, is an oil industry lobbyist and a former representative of Colorado's fourth district. In 2003 he supported Referendum A, a $4 billion blank check to the state legislature that would have raided Western Slope water for farms, ranches and people and delivered it to developers on the Front Range. As a member of the House he voted against enforcing arsenic and radon water standards and opposed protecting water from mining pollution. In addition, Schaffer argued in favor of allowing nuclear waste to be transported on Colorado highways.

Schaffer has been placed on the 2008 LCV "Dirty Dozen" list on account of his 5% lifetime LCV score. According to that organization, "Schaffer is a career politician turned oil executive. His anti-environmental record in Congress and his misplaced loyalties are clear. He has accepted more than $75,000 in donations from the oil and gas industry and was a major supporter of the Bush-Cheney energy plan, which doled out $33 billion in tax breaks for the energy industry. He has consistently voted against incentives for developing alternative fuel vehicles and has fought increased fuel efficiency standards for automobiles. He also has voted against increasing funding for energy efficiency and conservation programs."

He supports continued oil exploration off America's fragile coasts and in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, despite the fact that America sits on less than 3 percent of the world's oil and can never produce enough to have an impact on prices. His opposition to almost all pro-environmental policies and his campaign's demonization of the environmental movement shows that his loyalties lie squarely with the oil industry he has embraced. Schaffer clearly has the oil industry, not Coloradans in mind when it comes to who he hopes to help as a Senator. Vote for Mark Udall this November for the U.S. Senate to benefit Colorado and Coloradans. For more information, visit http://www.markudall.com/.