- Nifty, right?
Wyden spokesman Jake Weigler called this afternoon to say that his boss isn't deserving of the dubious distinction. "Senator Wyden has a strong record of supporting clean energy. His record is pretty clear in supporting strong energy legislation," says Weigler, noting that the $30,564 in controversial donations is a measly two percent of Wyden's war chest... which depending on how you feel about limits on campaign financing, could be a bad thing. During his decade in office, Wyden's League of Conservation Voters score has ranged from 80-100 percent. So which energy companies are coming out to support his campaign?
The heavy hitters are Portland General Electric ($11,600, classified as coming from "coal") and Jubitz ($9,000), which is the company that runs a chain of truck stops. Lower down the list you'll find familiar names like Enron and Exxon. Though it didn't make the dirty money list, a $5,000 contribution from Tim Boyle, the Mayor Adams recall-backing CEO of Columbia Sportswear. In comparison, Oregon Democrat Jeff Merkley has taken only $2,800 from so-called "dirty" companies... though he's only been in office two years so, you know, there's still time!