Rick Renzi has taken hundreds of thousands of dollars in contributions from industries that contribute to global warming. Since he was first elected to Congress in 2002, Renzi has taken more than $200,000 from the oil and gas industry, utility companies and other global warming pollution-producing industries, and $65,158 from corporate lobbyists.
Rick Renzi is one of the most corrupt members of Congress.
In 2006, Renzi was named one of the 20 Most Corrupt Members of Congress for ethics violations by the Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) for his shady fundraising deals with members of his Congressional staff, as well as sponsoring legislation that benefited members of his family at the detriment of the citizens of Arizona.
Renzi has been the target of a federal corruption inquiry for trying to use federal legislation for land swaps that benefited a friend and former business partner in a deal that was so bad, according to The Phoenix New Times, that “even the lobbyists knew it stunk.”
Renzi had to pay $320,000 in federal and state back taxes and was fined $25,000 by the FEC in January 2007 for misrepresenting the amount of corporate money he lent to his congressional campaign.
Given his sizable contributions from industries that only worsen the global warming crisis, it’s no surprise that Renzi chooses to keep his head in the sand when it comes to global warming.
Renzi voted to give $14 billion in taxpayer-funded subsidies to the global warming pollution-producing energy industry.
When he had an opportunity to help fight global warming in 2007 with his vote on H.R. 6, Renzi stood with corporate polluters and their lobbyists and voted against repealing billions in subsidies to energy companies.
Renzi voted against legislation that would increase fuel efficiency standards and make cars and light trucks go farther on a gallon of gas.
Renzi voted against the environment on 19 out of 20 related bills in the 109th Congress. He earned a zero percent score for 2005 and a 6 percent score for 2006 in the Defenders of Wildlife Action Fund scorecard.
