[Vision2020] Gore's Electricity Use Criticized

[Tom Hansen]

>From today's (February 28, 2007) Spokesman Review -

"A spokeswoman for Gore said he purchases enough "green power" - renewable
energy sources such as solar, wind and methane gas - to balance 100 percent
of his electricity costs.

'Sometimes when people don't like the message, in this case that global
warming is real, it's convenient to attack the messenger,' Gore spokeswoman
Kalee Kreider said."

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Gore's electricity use criticized

Kristin M. Hall 
Associated Press
February 28, 2007

NASHVILLE, Tenn. - Al Gore, a leading voice in the fight against global
warming, is being called a hypocrite by a conservative group that claims his
Nashville mansion uses too much electricity.

A spokeswoman for Gore said the former vice president invests in enough
renewable energy to make up for the home's power consumption.

Gore's documentary film "An Inconvenient Truth," which chronicled his
campaign against global warming, won an Academy Award on Sunday.

The next day, the Tennessee Center for Policy Research put out a news
release saying Gore was not doing enough to reduce his own consumption of
electricity. The group disputes whether global warming is a serious problem.

"We wanted to see if he was living by his own recommendations and walking
the walk," said Drew Johnson, president of the think tank, which pushes for
conservative economic issues.

Utility records show the Gore family paid an average monthly electric bill
of about $1,200 last year for its 10,000-square-foot home.

The Gores used about 191,000 kilowatt-hours in 2006, according to bills
reviewed by the Associated Press spanning the period from Feb. 3, 2006, to
Jan. 5. That is far more than the typical Nashville household, which uses
about 15,600 kilowatt-hours per year.
 
His Nashville home is more than four times larger than the average new
American home built last year - about 2,400 square feet, according to the
National Association of Home Builders.

A spokeswoman for Gore said he purchases enough "green power" - renewable
energy sources such as solar, wind and methane gas - to balance 100 percent
of his electricity costs.

"Sometimes when people don't like the message, in this case that global
warming is real, it's convenient to attack the messenger," Gore spokeswoman
Kalee Kreider said.

Gore participates in a utility program that sells blocks of "green power"
for an extra $4 a month. Gore purchases 108 such blocks every month,
covering 16,200 kilowatt-hours and helping subsidize renewable energy
sources.

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Seeya round town, Moscow.

Tom Hansen
Moscow, Idaho

"Don't tell me why I can't.
Show me how I can."

- Author Unknown