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Joe Jordan | Nebraska Watchdog
October 17, 2012 2 p.m.
Two days after Republican Congressman Lee Terry insisted that the Hill-Terry bill—legislation aimed at energy independence—”became law” a non-partisan fact checker is challenging Terry’s claim.
“I wouldn’t go that far,” said Julia Michaels, Legislative Research Director for Project Vote Smart.
Michaels tells Nebraska Watchdog it would be more accurate to say “some provisions from the Hill-Terry bill became law.”
On Monday during Terry’s first of two debates with Democrat John Ewing, Ewing challenged a Terry TV ad which says, “Congressman Lee Terry offered the bipartisan law that helps move America to energy independence.”
“Hill-Terry did not become law,” said Ewing.
Terry quickly responded, “Hill-Terry became law…it became law.”
According to Michaels, Hill-Terry, technically known as HR 2927, ”didn’t even make it through committee—the House just incorporated some of the provisions…into its main energy bill.”
Joe Jordan | Nebraska Watchdog
October 15, 2012 9 p.m.
Congressman Lee Terry took the blame Monday night for at least some misinformation in one of his campaign ads.
During the first debate (see video below) between Terry and Democrat John Ewing, Terry said, “I didn’t fact check my fact checkers.”
Terry’s comment came just hours after Nebraska Watchdog (see story below) reported that the seven term congressman’s campaign manager admitted that mistakes were made in a commercial regarding energy independence.
Joe Jordan | Nebraska Watchdog
October 15, 2012 6 p.m.
A second Lee Terry TV ad is under fire and following questions by Nebraska Watchdog, Team Terry is admitting some mistakes.
Terry’s campaign manager tells Nebraska Watchdog, “I did not cite the TV ad properly.”
The ad—which first ran several weeks ago—says the Republican congressman from Omaha “authored the bipartisan law (Public Law 110-140) that helps move America to energy independence.”
In an email to Nebraska Watchdog, Dave Boomer, Terry’s campaign manager, acknowledges that “the final bill (PL110–140) was not the same” as the legislation known as “Hill-Terry” that is noted in the commercial.
Boomer also says, “I did not cite the TV ad properly.”
The ad claimed that the Union of Concerned Scientists called Hill-Terry “historic.”
But according to Boomer the UCS had actually tied the word historic to Public Law 110-140. Boomer tells Nebraska Watchdog, “I also had attributed to UCS that they called Hill-Terry “historic” when, in fact, the reference was made to the final law that passed…”
At the same time Boomer says Terry was a leader on energy independence and played a key role in getting Congress to raise fuel economy standards from 25 mpg to 35 mpg.
According to Boomer, Terry’s 2007 bill (HR 2927) would have set the levels between 32 mpg and 35 mpg by 2022, while the final bill which came out of a House-Senate conference committee approved 35 mpg by 2020.
Boomer tells Nebraska Watchdog, “Lee should share in the credit…as we save on imported oil…”
The flap over the energy ad followed questions on another Terry ad which accused his opponent, Democrat John Ewing, of being a big spender as Douglas County Treasurer.
That ad is no longer running.
Contact Joe Jordan at joe@nebraskawatchdog.org.
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