For Immediate Release - Thursday August 14th, 2008

Contact: Tara Trujillo, 303.820.2008(o)

UDALL WINS DEBATE, OUTLINES BIPARTISAN ENERGY PLAN; SCHAFFER CONTINUES PUTTING OIL COMPANY PROFITS OVER ENERGY SOLUTIONS

Refuses to Join Udall in Bipartisan Energy Independence Plan

DENVER - One day after U.S. Senate candidate Mark Udall laid out a comprehensive, bipartisan energy plan, today's Rocky Mountain News/KBDI 12/CBS 4 debate delivered a clear choice for Colorado voters - Udall's comprehensive plan for lower gas prices, energy independence, and economic policies to relieve the middle-class squeeze, or a continuation of the Schaffer/Bush economic policies of hand-outs to big oil companies, corporations that ship jobs overseas, and the wealthiest among us.

Udall asked Bob Schaffer to join him in supporting his "American Energy, American Innovation" plan - a comprehensive plan based on the bipartisan proposals of the "Gang of 10" in the U.S. Senate that increases domestic energy production, including oil and gas, as well as making historic new investments in renewable energy and efficiency technology. That plan also ends massive taxpayer subsidies to record-profit-making oil companies, and shifts them into investments in renewable energy and energy-efficient technologies.

Schaffer refused.

Unsurprisingly, Schaffer's refusal to join the bipartisan plan came on the same day that the oil companies also anounced their opposition.

"Bob Schaffer made it abundantly clear today that no amount of pain felt by Colorado families and no amount of bipartisan work to forge energy solutions could move him away from his agenda of putting more money in the pockets of the oil companies bankrolling his campaign," said Tara Trujillo. "Mark Udall has a comprehensive energy plan with bipartisan support, because Coloradans deserve leaders who will go to work to lower their gas prices and secure America's energy independence.

"It's a shame Bob Schaffer isn't willing to put the people of Colorado ahead of his own profits and those of his oil industry buddies."

The Rocky Mountain News/KBDI 12/CBS 4 debate will air on KBDI Channel 12 in Denver tomorrow, August 15th, at 8pm.

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