Under fire from the Sierra Club, McConnell turns criticism on Lunsford

U.S. Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-Louisville): Getty Images PhotoThe campaign of U.S. Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-Louisville) today pounced on the news that the Sierra Club was running radio ads critical of its candidate in Kentucky.

Deeming that the ads show opponent Bruce Lunsford (D-Louisville) "welcomes the support" of the pro-environment organization, McConnell's campaign argued Lunsford shared the position on coal of both the Sierra Club and U.S. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.).

"Here's the question for Kentuckians: can Bruce Lunsford be trusted to support Kentucky coal, which helps drive our economy and keep our electricity rates low? The answer is unequivocally no," said McConnell campaign manager Justin Brasell in a press release dispatched today. "Lunsford would be taking orders from the Sierra Club and Sen. Harry Reid, who make no excuses for their hatred of coal."

The Sierra Club has a history of opposing coal power, labeling the energy source prominent throughout Kentucky as "dirty coal."

The McConnell campaign also highlighted an article on the organization's website that argued "clean coal" technology - which supposedly limits the environmental damage caused by the fuel - does not exist.

In recent interviews, Lunsford has lauded coal as an option to help move the United States towards energy independence.

"[Coal] also has tremendous potential as part of a solution to reduce our dependence on foreign oil," said Lunsford in an interview with PoliticalBase.com. "We can find solutions that protect the environment, eliminate the dangers of runoff, and utilize coal more efficiently."

Still, the McConnell campaign sees incongruency between this sentiment and the positions of the Sierra Club, positing that their attacks on McConnell equate to support of Lunsford.

"We call on Bruce Lunsford to repudiate ads from the Sierra Club and demand they stay out of the Kentucky Senate race," Brasell said in the statement. "Otherwise, he should really just be honest and tell Kentuckians he would be another solid vote for the ultra-liberal, anti-coal crowd."

While he may enjoy residual support from attacks on McConnell, the Sierra Club's ad is not an official part of Lunsford's campaign. The ad does not mention Lunsford during its one-minute duration and, according to the organization's website, Lunsford has not received their endorsement in the Kentucky U.S. Senate race.

The ad is part of an effort by the Sierra Club to target four Republican Senators for their recent votes against two pieces of legislation supported by the Club.

Three of those four senators are up for election in 2008 while the fourth - Republican Judd Gregg of New Hampshire - happens to share a home state with one of the other vulnerable targets.

The ad - which is relatively polite by political standards - mentions McConnell by name only once, saying he "recently voted wrong, but he can still do what's right."

(Listen to the Sierra Club's ad here - right click, save as)

It then encourages listeners to call McConnell and ask him to support the legislation upon which McConnell "voted wrong" - the Consumer-First Energy Act and the Renewable Energy and Job Creation Act.

"It is essential that Congress pass these important pieces of legislation immediately," said the organization's executive director, Carl Pope, in a statement announcing the ads. "These bills offer senators a clear choice-they can choose to protect Big Oil while it rakes in record profits or they can vote for real relief at the pump and more clean, renewable energy."

Among other things, the Consumer-First Energy Act includes a windfall profit tax on oil companies and would revoke existing tax breaks to those institutions, investing money instead in renewable energy technology.

The Renewable Energy and Job Creation Act would provide tax credits for renewable energy sources.

Last month, both bills failed to pass the Senate after cloture votes to end debate failed to obtain the necessary support of 60 Senators.

Criticism from environmentalist groups is nothing new for McConnell. He was recently named to the League of Conservation Voters' "Dirty Dozen" - a target list of members of Congress said by that organization to have a poor track record on environmental issues.

The Lunsford campaign did not return requests for comment with regard to this issue.