Please take time this 4th of July to celebrate our great country and the men and women who have fought for the freedoms we enjoy today. Happy Independence Day!
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The Voter Guide is co-sponsored by the League of Women Voters of Georgia and the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. The Guide and Stephen’s responses can be accessed here. Voter Guide.
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On June 4, 2008, the Georgia State AFL-CIO endorsed Stephen Camp for U.S. House of Representatives in Georgia’s Third Congressional District. We are honored to have the support of the AFL-CIO and are committed to speaking on behalf of Georgia’s hard-working families throughout this campaign and in Congress.
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For Immediate Release: June 2, 2008
From: Stephen Camp for Congress; Contact Bob Trammell (770-316-6043)
Although Lynn Westmoreland has been in Congress since 2004, it doesn’t seem like he has drilled down or explored the issue of America’s energy policy very thoroughly. Recently, Westmoreland gave a speech about energy in Newnan that was misleading, filled with oversimplifications, and, on several points, substantively dishonest. In a tough economy with steadily rising gas prices, the people of the Third District deserve an honest assessment of the problem and feasible ways to solve it, not more partisan rhetoric from the Congressman.
As reported (see “Drill Now Solution to Soaring Gas Prices,” The Times-Herald, May 30, 2008), Westmoreland advocated in his speech that oil shale development is an immediate solution we should be taking advantage of “today.” Westmoreland implied that environmentalists have stood in the way of oil-shale development, and that if they had not, then we would have a fully-developed oil-shale industry. The facts are much more complicated:
1. A primary reason oil shale is not used for our energy production is economic. It is much more difficult and costly to produce commercial oil products from oil shale than it is from an oil field. Oil shale has never been cost-competitive with conventional petroleum.
2. In addition to fiscal impediments, converting oil shale into gasoline in the conventional way is a particularly dirty process that would occur in the vicinity of populated areas. The rock must be mined from underground and then crushed, heated and processed. Large amounts of toxic waste are created and result in a high risk of air and water pollution. Shell Oil has been working on an extraction process called in-situ retorting, where the oil shale would be heated while still underground and the resulting liquid extracted. The truth is, though, that this technology is not ready for large-scale deployment. It would be preferable to processing the shale on the surface, but the possible costs are not well understood.
3. A RAND report estimates that growing this industry so that it was producing 1 million barrels of oil per day would take 20 years. The United States uses 20 million barrels of oil per day.
4. The large scale development of oil shale would make it extremely difficult, if not infeasible, to meet goals established under the Bush administration for reducing greenhouse gas emissions. The amount of increased emissions that would result from oil shale production depends on different factors (the most important being what source is used to create the power to heat the shale). One source says that it will increase gas emissions by up to 52% over conventional petroleum. The truth is, Congressman Westmoreland is trying to sell a “solution” that is cost-prohibitive, undeveloped, and uncertain, and that would take us backwards in conservation efforts in our own backyard.
Westmoreland also was disturbingly dismissive of energy conservation efforts in his talk, saying that “All of that sounds good, but we cannot conserve our way out of the energy crisis we’re in.” It is true that conservation alone is not enough. But improving energy efficiency is the most cost-effective way to reduce our energy demand, according to McKinsey & Co., which estimates that investments in efficiency would produce energy savings at half the cost of building plants to produce the energy that would otherwise be used. This would not mean that people would be turning off the lights, for example, only that the light itself would use less power. This is not a fringe idea, but one that is embraced by working Georgians and corporations such as Wal-Mart, which has committed publicly to the sale of affordable, energy-efficient bulbs.
Westmoreland also said there has been lots of discussion about windmills and solar panels, but he said using both — under optimum conditions — would produce only about 3 percent of the energy the nation needs. His assertions are just flat wrong. A recent DOE report indicates that 20% of the country’s power could come from wind by 2030, roughly the same timeline required for oil shale development to produce 5% of our energy. There are challenges here too, but the difference is that wind-turbine technology is proven. Wind already provides about 1% of the nation’s power. With respect to solar power, one company will start building a solar thermal plant in the Mojave next year that alone is expected to power 400,000 homes. Solar-thermal plants producing hundreds of megawatts have been in operation for 20 years. This is to say nothing of the potential for rooftop solar panels. There are challenges here too - such as the scarcity of the materials needed to make panels. We owe it to ourselves and our children, though, to embrace cost-effective solutions that conserve our natural resources here at home.
Everyone feels the sting of the rising cost of gas and home energy bills and is concerned about the threat that foreign-oil dependence poses to our economic and national security. These are not partisan problems or issues. These are issues that we and future generations of Americans must face with honest, thoughtful discussion, not misleading oversimplifications and partisan attacks. Our future is at stake.
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For Immediate Release: May 20, 2008
From: Stephen Camp for Congress
Contact: Bob Trammell; 770-316-6043
Lynn Westmoreland recently voted against the Farm Bill, which passed both the Senate and the House with broad bi-partisan support and enjoyed the support of both of Georgia’s Senators, including the ranking Republican on the Senate Agricultural Committee. The reasoning offered by Westmoreland for his vote has been flatly rejected by Senator Saxby Chambliss as “ridiculous.”
Chambliss said about the Farm Bill: “Our bill provides certainty to America’s farmers and ranchers and restates the strong commitment of Congress to the hungry and less fortunate. The farm bill includes provisions to help low-income Americans meet nutritional needs by providing school children with increased access to fresh fruit and vegetables and enhancing our investments to the Food Stamp Program and food banks. We have written a good bill not only for American agriculture, but for millions of needy Americans and I strongly urge the President to sign it into law.”
The former chairman of the Senate Agriculture Committee pointed out that the last farm bill passed in 2002 had no income limit on participation. The new limit would cut off subsidies from farmers with incomes of $750,000 and more.
Chambliss took great exception to President Bush’s criticism of the farm bill, including Bush’s contention that the legislation awards subsidies to high-income farmers. “That’s ridiculous. It really is. I get upset when some of my colleagues say, well we’re giving money to rich farmers. We’re not doing that,” Chambliss said.
Stephen Camp, candidate for the 3rd Congressional District, agrees with the assessment of Senator Saxby Chambliss. “Lynn Westmoreland’s opposition to the Farm Bill represents more of the same rubber stamp he has provided and used for the current administration’s failed economic policies that have left too many working families and small businesses hurting. Even in the face of broad bipartisan support for the bill, Lynn Westmoreland voted against legislation that will help Georgia’s farmers and help a lot of Georgia families who are struggling with the higher costs of food,” Camp said. “The 3rd District can’t afford his failed approach anymore. Georgia’s farmers and families deserve better.”
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May 17, 2008
Remarks of Stephen Camp (as prepared for delivery):
Good afternoon. I am so glad to be with you today at Lakeshore Park Pavilion. My name is Stephen Camp, and I am running for Congress in Georgia’s Third Congressional District against the Republican incumbent, Lynn Westmoreland.
Many of you do not yet know me. I am a husband and father (my wife Katie and son Jack are here with me today), and a lawyer and small business owner in Newnan. Six years ago, Katie and I left jobs with large law firms in Atlanta to return to the community that had given so much to us growing up. In these six years, I have worked hard to assist hard-working Georgians in proceedings for unpaid overtime, denials of benefits, discrimination, and wrongful termination. By and large, in these 6 years Katie and I have been wonderfully blessed, our son is about to turn 3, and as we slide into the warm days of summer I have had more than one well-meaning person look at me as if to ask, “What in the world are you thinking running for Congress?” You see, I know what they’re thinking. They’re thinking, “Doesn’t he know he’s in the 3rd Congressional District?” Well friends, I am here today to tell you I know exactly what district I live in, and you and I both know it is a district poised and ready to embrace change.
My opponent is the epitome of failed leadership in Washington. On issue after issue, time and time again, Congressman Westmoreland has missed the boat.
You see, I believe the people of the 3rd District recognize that we must cure our addiction to foreign oil and pursue a sound and forward-thinking policy of energy independence. Congressman Westmoreland, in turn, voted last year against investing in domestic alternative energy sources.
I believe the people of the 3rd District are fed up with a depressed real estate market, are fed up with record foreclosure levels, and are fed up with a housing crisis that affects working families up and down the economic ladder and impacts their ability to borrow money. Congressman Westmoreland, however, noted “No” to sensible regulation and accounting of the subprime mortgage industry that has contributed so much to the mess we’re in.
I believe, and as a small business owner I know, that the people of the 3rd District are faced with health-care costs they cannot pay, and insurance they cannot get or cannot afford. Congressman Westmoreland, however, voted “No” last year to legislation that would have provided health insurance to nearly 4 million children, 4 million children, who are eligible yet remain uninsured under the State Children’s Health Insurance Programs.
Yes, I know exactly what District we are in, and it is a district in desperate need of new leadership. You see, while we are facing seminal problems in energy, health care, and the economy, Congressman Westmoreland has been busy minding the business of college football by introducing legislation to determine the way the BCS determines its champion.
Friends, we have bigger fish to fry. And when you elect me to Congress, I will work every day on these issues for the hard-working families and businesses of the 3rd District. My name is Stephen Camp, and I am looking forward to meeting and working with you in this campaign. I am asking each of you for your support, and for your vote on July 15, and again on November 4. Thank you.
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For Immediate Release: April 30, 2008
Contact:
Stephen Camp
770-502-0130
stephen@stephencampforcongress.com
Newnan attorney Stephen A. Camp announced today that he will run for the U.S. House of Representatives in Georgia’s 3rd Congressional District. Camp, a Democrat, is a native of Newnan.
“This is a time for change,” Camp said. “The 3rd District can no longer afford the politics of Lynn Westmoreland. We’re struggling in a depressed economy that continues to worsen under a Washington leadership that has failed us. Wages are stagnant, unemployment is rising, gas prices have escalated to unprecedented levels, and the housing crisis is hurting families across the economic spectrum. Georgia’s citizens deserve representation that will go to work for working people and businesses.”
Camp is a graduate of East Coweta High School, Georgia Tech, and the University of Virginia School of Law. He practices law with Trammell Camp, LLC, where he advises individuals and businesses in Coweta County and surrounding areas on employment law, medical leave, wage disputes, and related issues. Mr. Camp and his wife Katie live in Newnan with their two-year-old son, Jack.
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