PolitiFact.com
Statements about Oil Spill
Dave Aronberg

Dave Aronberg

Mostly False

He "could," but there's no evidence he would

Dan Gelber's employment by BP's law firm "could disqualify him from representing Florida against BP as Attorney General."

Marco Rubio

Marco Rubio

Mostly True

The cost could be even higher

"$120,000 will be spent by taxpayers on Charlie Crist's political photo-op special session."

Sharron Angle

Sharron Angle

Full Flop

That was fast!

On whether BP's $20 billion fund to compensate oil spill victims is "a slush fund."

Keith Olbermann

Keith Olbermann

False

He muffs two statistics in two sentences

"Subsidies for oil and gas companies make up 88 percent of all federal subsidies. Just cutting the oil and gas subsidies out would save the U.S. government $45 billion every year."

Mark Kirk

Mark Kirk

Mostly False

BP! BP! BP!

"Alexi Giannoulias' top aide was a longtime BP lobbyist."

Marco Rubio

Marco Rubio

True

It's a tough job, but somebody's gotta do it (with shovels and plastic bags)

“We are picking up oil with shovels and paper and plastic bags.”

Charlie Crist

Charlie Crist

Mostly True

"First thing" is relative

"You know, when this thing first hit, I signed a declaration of emergency for the six counties that were directly affected, impacted in the Panhandle, then I extended that not long thereafter down into Sarasota County."

Charlie Crist

Charlie Crist

True

Charlie Crist and Florida's Panhandle Total BFFs

"I have spent virtually every weekend since Memorial Day in the Panhandle."

Barack Obama

Barack Obama

Full Flop

After mocking McCain during campaign, Obama created four

On the use of presidentially appointed commissions.

Ron Klein

Ron Klein

False

The views of a few donors don't necessarily reflect all

"West has raised $2 million from those that would leave our beaches in ruins, end Social Security and Medicare, and give corporations free reign."

Steve Scalise

Steve Scalise

Half-True

Not quite as long as the congressman says

It was President Obama's "inaction that caused over three weeks to go by before he even approved the governor's plan to protect our marsh."

Mary Landrieu

Mary Landrieu

Mostly True

A practice that's not illegal, but not allowed

Canada "does spills into their water to practice in the event that this would happen. That is not allowed in the United States."

Florida Conservation Alliance

Florida Conservation Alliance

Half-True

Ignore oil spill images; the vote was on Clean Air Act

"Sen. George LeMieux voted to let oil companies off the hook and overturn pollution rules."

Americans United for Change

Americans United for Change

Half-True

Ad doesn't mention that the vote was on the Clean Air Act

"Every day, oil continues to pour into the Gulf of Mexico. ... Even with disaster on our coast..., Richard Burr voted to let big oil off the hook."

Eric Johnson

Eric Johnson

Half-True

"Very rare"? Try "chronic."

"In fact, oil spills from tankers are far more common than the very rare leaks from rigs or pipelines."

Jeff Greene

Jeff Greene

Half-True

Not really our enemies

The U.S. spends $4 billion on research and development for energy, while spending $350 billion on oil from foreign countries, "many of whom are our enemies."

Edward Markey

Edward Markey

Mostly True

Democratic talking point is very close to right

"We only have 2 percent of the oil reserves in the world, and we consume 25 percent of the world's oil on a daily basis."

Orrin Hatch

Orrin Hatch

Mostly False

30 percent of U.S. oil produced, not consumed

"We get 30 percent of our oil from the Gulf (of Mexico)."

Barack Obama

Barack Obama

Mostly True

Right on the first two counts, but the third is murkier

"Oil companies showered regulators (at the Minerals Management Service) with gifts and favors, and were essentially allowed to conduct their own safety inspections and write their own regulations."

Alex Sink

Alex Sink

Half-True

She waited three days to issue a press release but did quickly speak out against bill timing

"The minute this proposal for near-beach oil drilling came up, I was against it."

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