Unlike other reports, Gazette brief omitted Allard, Lamborn votes against Strategic Petroleum Reserve bills

Summary: The Gazette of Colorado Springs stated that Congress "voted overwhelmingly" for measures suspending oil purchases for the Strategic Petroleum Reserve, but did not mention that Sen. Wayne Allard and Rep. Doug Lamborn, both Colorado Republicans, voted against the bills. In contrast, other Colorado media outlets reported the dissenting votes of one or both legislators.

A news brief published May 14 in The Gazette of Colorado Springs (accessed through the newspaper's electronic edition) noted that "Congress voted overwhelmingly" to support legislation aimed at lowering gasoline prices by temporarily suspending crude oil purchases for the nation's emergency Strategic Petroleum Reserve. But the Gazette failed to note that Republicans Sen. Wayne Allard and Rep. Doug Lamborn voted against the measures (S.Amdt. 4737 and H.R. 6022). In contrast, The Denver Post noted on May 14 that Allard and Lamborn voted against respective bills, while The Daily Sentinel of Grand Junction reported Allard's lone dissent among senators. In addition, The Pueblo Chieftain on May 14 posted on its website a version of an Associated Press article noting that Allard was the "sole objector" to the suspension of purchases for the oil reserve.

Lamborn represents Colorado's 5th Congressional District, which includes Colorado Springs.

The wording of the Gazette's brief, which was attributed to "News Services," was nearly identical to that of a May 13 AP article noting Allard's vote against the Senate bill.

The Gazette reported that "Congress voted overwhelmingly Tuesday to challenge President Bush to temporarily halt the daily shipment of thousands of barrels of oil into the government's emergency reserve." The newspaper further noted that the votes on the measure were "97-1 in the Senate, 385-25 in the House," but did not mention Allard's lone "no" vote in the Senate or state that Lamborn was one of only 25 representatives voting against the bill in the House.

In contrast to the Gazette, the Post reported in its May 14 article headlined "Allard on losing side of 97-1 oil vote":

Sen. Wayne Allard cast the sole Senate vote Tuesday against halting oil shipments to the government's emergency reserve.

Aimed at reducing gasoline prices, the measure passed the Senate 97-1. A similar measure later passed the House 385-25, with Rep. Doug Lamborn of Colorado Springs voting against it.

"Voting only to stop filling the Strategic Petroleum Reserve without doing anything to increase domestic production and lessening our dependence on foreign oil is a disservice to the American people," Allard said.

Allard, a Loveland Republican, favors expediting federal programs to set the stage for oil-shale development in Colorado as one way to increase domestic supplies.

Republican Lamborn said Congress "should be focusing on production."

Similarly, the Daily Sentinel reported in a May 13 online article ("Allard the lone senator to cast opposing vote") that "Sen. Wayne Allard, R-Colo., cast the lone vote Tuesday in the Senate against a plan to stop filling the nation's strategic petroleum reserve."

Sen. Ken Salazar (D) co-sponsored the legislation in the Senate; Democratic Reps. Ed Perlmutter and Mark Udall co-sponsored a similar measure in the House.

—C.H.