|
 |
 |
|
Ads hit GOP lawmakers for opposing Navy biofuels
A liberal-leaning national security group has a six-figure ad campaign attacking four Republicans, including potential vice presidential pick Sen. Rob Portman (R-Ohio) and House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-Va.), over their opposition to the Navy’s biofuels program.
The Truman National Security Project’s Operation Free campaign released the ads Tuesday, in which a veteran is shown asking why the lawmakers don’t “trust” the military leaders on biofuels.
“When the Navy says advanced American biofuels make our forces more effective and energy-independent, I trust them,” the veteran, Chris Marzoni, says in the ad against Portman. “That’s why I’m disappointed that some in Congress are trying to stop our military’s biofuels programs. Sen. Portman, I’m a veteran, and I trust our military leaders. Why don’t you?”
Dreyer said the ad campaign was in the “six figures,” and added that there would be another round of ads in North Carolina and Pennsylvania soon.
The Truman Project’s campaign comes as Congress is threatening to effectively kill the Navy’s biofuels program, a key initiative for Navy Secretary Ray Mabus, in both the House and Senate defense authorization bills. The House-passed bill includes provisions restricting the military from purchasing alternative fuels at a higher cost than fossil fuels.
The bill that passed the Senate Armed Services Committee, a committee Portman serves on, also included restrictions on biofuels, passing narrowly on a 13-12 vote where some Democrats crossed party lines. The provisions still would likely have to survive a vote on the Senate floor in the Democrat-controlled chamber, however.
Marzoni, the vet in the ad, has previously worked with Operation Free on energy initiatives.
