Perriello defends vote for House climate bill

Freshman Rep. Tom Perriello (D-Va.) on Wednesday touted his vote for House climate change legislation approved in June among his 2009 legislative accomplishments.

Perriello, who represents a swing district, faced a blizzard of political attacks after voting for the bill. They included National Republican Congressional Committee ads targeting Perriello for backing what the NRCC calls a “national energy tax.”

But in a message on his Facebook page, Perriello praised the bill and, sticking with the dominant Democratic messaging, focused on the energy security and economic case for the measure.

“I supported the American Clean Energy and Security Act to shift our energy dollars from petro-dictators overseas to homegrown American energy and jobs for Americans,” he said in the Facebook posting. 

His southern-central Virginia district is listed as a toss-up in the 2010 elections by the nonpartisan Cook Political Report.