For a guy who recently howled to the Texas Observer that “Republicans don’t give a rats ass about the environment” I thought Representative Lon Burnam (D-Fort Worth) only brought attention to himself by obfuscating the issue that he, in partnership with Representative Warren Chisum (R-Pampa) authored legislation to support an electric vehicle that actually produces more CO2 from its battery than from its gasoline engine. Together they do so with support from very special campaign contributors holding very special interests in insuring, financing & selling more electric cars and scrapping old gasoline powered ones.

Texas Representatives Lon Burnam and Warren Chisum have co-authored H.B. 3272 that, according to the Bill Analysis “encourages the purchase of cleaner vehicles” and “be a vehicle the total cost of which does not exceed $35,000, rather than $25,000”. One of those cars my friend, is the Chevy Volt with an MSRP starting at $32,780.

Representatives Chisum’s (R-Pampa) and Burnam’s campaign finance reports reflect contributions from very special contributors with very special interests in insuring, financing & selling more electric cars and scrapping old gasoline powered ones.

Burnam	10/14/2010	Farmers Employee & Agent PAC of Texas	1000
Burnam	12/8/2010	Texas Automobile Dealers Association PAC	1000
Burnam	5/26/2010	Independent Bankers Association of Texas PAC	500
Chisum	10/26/2010	Bank of America Corp. PAC	1500
Chisum	8/26/2010	K & L Auto Crushers	500
Chisum	12/10/2010	Gulf States Toyota Inc State PAC	250
Chisum	9/8/2010	Texas Employee Political Action Committee of Luminant	500

Plug In Texas describes their mission is to raise “public awareness of the benefits and viability of electric vehicles in Texas”. Their coalition includes members such as Gulf States Toyota, Texas Automobile Dealers Association and Luminant Energy who are some of the very entities promoting electric vehicles as a way to reduce carbon dioxide emissions.

Unfortunately for Messrs Chisum, Burnam and Plug In Texas, the EPA’s own findings leads Jonathan DuHamel of Tucson Citizen to conclude the Volt emits more CO2 from its battery use than from its gasoline engine.

Crikey, what a bunch of hypocrites…. so Happy Together.