PRESS RELEASE

DEFENDERS ACTION FUND CRITICIZES RICHARD "BIG OIL" POMBO IN NEW RADIO AD
With gas prices at record highs, radio ad criticizes Pombo for posh Houston fundraiser and being in the pocket of Big Oil

PLEASANTON, CA -- Defenders of Wildlife Action Fund has just launched a new radio ad criticizing Rep. Richard Pombo for taking hundreds of thousands of dollars in campaign cash from the oil and gas industry and then voting to give them millions in tax breaks.

"Richard Pombo was jetting off to Houston just last week to collect thousands of dollars in campaign contributions from oil corporations like Exxon-Mobil and Chevron who are making billions of dollars in profits by gouging Californians at the pump," said Rodger Schlickeisen the president of Defenders Action Fund.

"Pombo is one of the largest recipients in Congress of campaign cash from the oil and gas industry and he is also one of their greatest champions. Make no mistake, Richard Pombo is in the pocket of Big Oil. He has voted for millions in undeserved tax breaks for Big Oil and to protect them from liability for the cleanup of the dangerous chemical MTBE, which has polluted sites across Pombo's own district."

"Just like Vice President Dick Cheney who flies to California to campaign for Pombo this month, Pombo cuts his deals with Big Oil behind closed doors and out of public view. While in Houston, Pombo and his staff held private meetings with top oil executives. Does anyone really think Pombo was lobbying the industry to lower gas prices, pollute less and develop alternative energy sources to reduce our dependence on foreign oil?" added Schlickeisen.

This is the third in a series of radio ads that Defenders Action Fund has run educating voters about Richard Pombo's record in Congress. To listen to the ad, visit www.pombointheirpocket.org.