Sen. Johnson Visits Enbridge In Superior, Lt. Gov. Barnes Visits East Side of WI Ahead Of Midterms

SUPERIOR, Wis. — Republican Senator Ron Johnson visited the Enbridge terminal in Superior as Democratic Lieutenant Governor Mandela Barnes spent time on the campaign trail on the east side of Wisconsin on Monday, with about two weeks to go until the midterm election.

Barnes and Johnson will face off for the Senate seat representing Wisconsin on November 8th.

Johnson visited Enbridge to hear about its oil pipelines and voice support for current use of fossil fuels.

He said the conversation with Enbridge leaders focused on modern pipelines and how they seem safer than thousands of tankers on the roads transporting fuel around the country.

Johnson added that he believes America needs to focus more on domestic oil production to become energy independent.

“We do need to understand that our economy is powered about 80% by fossil fuels, and so when President Biden as a candidate said he was going to end fossil fuels, that is so divorced from reality,” Sen. Johnson said. “I’m sorry, the Green New Deal is a fantasy. The world is going to be run and powered by fossil fuels for decades. We could eliminate all CO2 in America, even by the environmentalists’ own models that wouldn’t impact climate change by even a full degree as long as China and India are going to be burning fossil fuels, and that’s what they’re going to burn. So if you’re concerned about climate change, I don’t deny it, I’m just not alarmist. You ought to be looking at nuclear.”

Meanwhile, Barnes spent the day campaigning on the Northeast and Southeast side of Wisconsin.

In a debate hosted by the Wisconsin Broadcasters Association two weeks ago, Barnes said that it should be a goal to reduce carbon emissions while tapping into Wisconsin’s manufacturing power to build clean energy sources like solar panels.

“What we need to do is reduce carbon emissions,” Lt. Governor Barnes said. “What we also need to do is move toward a cleaner energy economy and make sure Wisconsin is in the driver’s seat. 80% of the world’s solar panels built in China. We could be building those right here in Wisconsin charting the path to a cleaner energy future. And we can also make sure that our family farmers have the support they need with regenerative agriculture so that the industry can continue to thrive.”

Recent polling shows that Johnson has held a slight lead over Barnes among possible voters ahead of the midterms.