Sanbornton, NH – Speaking at a house party in Sanbornton, US Senate Candidate Jay Buckey urged House and Senate leaders to support renewable energy in the energy bill under consideration. “Taking out the renewable energy provisions would head us in exactly the wrong direction,” said Buckey. Today Buckey added,. “Renewable energy is our future, oil is our past.”

Yesterday the New York Times reported that in energy bill negotiations, support for renewable energy may be on the cutting block. The bill now includes subsidies for nuclear and coal power, as well as subsidized oil field leases. Fuel economy standards, portfolio energy requirements for energy companies, and renewable energy tax incentives are thought to be at risk in current negotiations.

Commenting today from the campaign's headquarters in Lebanon, NH Buckey said, “We have a clear choice ahead of us, We can either devote ever increasing resources to defending and securing access to petroleum resources around the world, or we can start to develop new energy options that will take us into the 21st century. The stakes are high and we should not back off from setting aggressive standards for renewable energy and fuel economy.”

Labels: release

Lebanon, NH --Jay Buckey, Democratic candidate to represent New Hampshire in the U.S. Senate, said that Michael Mukasey's appointment today as Attorney General is a disappointment for anyone who values the Constitution and common sense.

"I couldn't believe that he refused to condemn water boarding,” said Buckey, a former flight surgeon in the Air Force Reserve. "Most commonsense folks would look at that and say, 'Gee, if it were done to me, I'd consider it torture.' It doesn't take a constitutional scholar to figure that out."

Buckey said that he doesn't question Mukasey's intelligence or qualifications, but he's concerned about the Attorney General's backbone, and he would have voted against Mukasey's confirmation. New Hampshire's current Senators, Republicans John Sununu and Judd Gregg, voted to confirm Mukasey.

“The Attorney General should have the strength of character to stand up to the administration and define water boarding as torture, “ said Buckey. “Terrorists present difficult issues, but we have to expect our Attorney General to uphold the Constitution. This is a time for clarity and having the courage to stand for what we believe in."

Torture is not only illegal, it's also ineffective, Buckey noted. "Our use of torture isn't scaring the terrorists, but it is alienating millions of other people throughout the world who we want on our side. I hope that in the upcoming months Attorney General Mukasey will re-think his position and condemn torture.”

Labels: release

Saturday, November 3rd
Jay made it to 4 Step It Up events in NH last weekend. We started out in Nashua where he spoke despite the inclement weather to a crowd of approximately 50 people about his plans for action on climate change. He then spoke in Manchester, Concord, and finished up the day on the green in Lebanon.

Overall it was a great day. Jay delivered his ideas on what are the central issues to his campaign: climate change and our dependence on oil. Jay's speech was very well-received and sparked the interest of new supporters; 41 people signed our "Declaration of Independence from Oil". Below are photos from the Step It Up events in Lebanon and Concord. Enjoy!

Labels: news