If you really want to know who is pulling the strings in the Bob Schaffer for Senate campaign, just look at the comments on the Rocky's analysis of Mark Udall and Bob Schaffer's voting records during the time they were in Congress simultaneously.
I wish the Democrats' little lie about "Big Oil Bob" was true: but Aspect Energy is an independent producer (not exactly Big Oil!) of lots of different energy sources, including wind projects.
In fact one of Bob key projects for Aspect was to help create a bi-partisan coalition to support more efficient wind energy tax credits. Our wind energy affiliate developed the first significant project on an Indian reservation (in California) and also worked on projects in other states including Colorado.
The wind tax credits currently are biased against indpendent developers of wind projects in favor of big power companies. Bob worked hard to try to even the playing field.
Alex Cranberg, Chairman
Aspect Energy, LLC
That's Alex Cranberg, Republican insider and funder of various shadowy campaigns to destroy public education, who also happens to be Schaffer's employer.
Aspect is an oil company. It is a lie for Cranberg to claim it isn't.
From the front page of Aspect's web site:
From 1998-2006, Aspect and its partners spent $940 million to drill over 525 wells. Together they recognized a success rate of 59% finding 703 Bcfe in reserves worth $1.89 billion (PV10). For wells in which Aspect was the Exploration Operator: From 1998-2006, Aspect and its partners spent $540 million to drill over 318 wells. Together they recognized a success rate of 61% finding 437 Bcfe in reserves worth $1.25 billion (PV10).
Aspect and its affiliate companies will have combined revenues of ~ $360 million in 2007 and expected exploration and development capital expenditures of $180 million. Combined daily production net to Aspect and its affiliates is currently ~ 18,300 boe/day.
Aspect spent over a billion and a half dollars since 1998 drilling for oil. Sure, they're no ExxonMobile or ConocoPhillips, but to claim that any company that can afford to blow $1.5 billion in ten years isn't "big" is ridiculous on its face.
Funny how Cranberg implies they're some sort of renewable energy company yet there's not a single mention of wind or any other renewable energy on the front page of the company's web site.
Also funny how Schaffer's consistent claims that he isn't a lobbyist are exposed as lies by his boss's futile attempt to deny Schaffer's big oil ties.
In fact one of Bob key projects for Aspect was to help create a bi-partisan coalition to support more efficient wind energy tax credits.
By this very statement, Cranberg is either claiming that Schaffer lobbied for tax credits "for Aspect," or that Schaffer was doing Aspect's bidding when he was in Congress. Either he is a lobbyist or he was in the back pocket of Cranberg when he was in Congress. We can't say for sure, because Cranberg doesn't give a time frame for the "key projects for Aspect."
