We could swear the earth got a lot warmer during a House Energy & Commerce Subcommittee hearing on Friday. That's when Representative Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) grilled former Vice President and fellow Tennessean Al Gore about his frequent preaching on the dangers of climate change -- and if it was aimed at turning a profit.
Oh, Marsha, Marsha, you don't know Al.
At least, that's what he said. As reported by The New York Times:
Referring to an October 2008 New York Times Magazine article, which mentioned Mr. Gore’s partnership in the venture capital firm Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, Ms. Blackburn asked Mr. Gore to address any potential conflict of interest, given that some of the companies the firm has invested in might well benefit from a cap-and-trade system.
“I think it’s really important that no suspicion or shadow fall on the foremost advocates of climate change legislation, so I wanted to give you the opportunity to kind of clear the air about your motives and maybe set the record straight for some of your former constituents,” Ms. Blackburn said.
Gore was not amused. He said has reinvested “every penny” he has made from his renewable energy holdings — as well as from his book and movie efforts — into the non-profit he chairs, the Alliance for Climate Protection. And then he added:
Local
Washington, D.C., Maryland and Virginia local news, events and information
Is it a little cold in here now, or is it just us?
