On the September 17 broadcast of his nationally syndicated radio show, Sean Hannity did not challenge Sen. John McCain's false claim during an interview that Alaska “provides 20 percent of America's energy requirements.” McCain made his comment in response to Hannity's statement that Gov. Sarah Palin is “very convinced she can convince you into drilling at ANWR [Arctic National Wildlife Refuge].” McCain replied, in part: “Who knows more about energy than the governor of the state that provides 20 percent of America's energy requirements?” In fact, as Media Matters for America has previously noted, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA), in 2005, Alaska is responsible for “just 3.5 percent of the country's domestic energy production,” and only 2.4 percent of the energy the U.S. consumes.
In a September 12 article, FactCheck.org wrote that it is “simply untrue that Alaska produces anything close to 20 percent of the U.S. 'energy supply,' ” and noted that according to the EIA, “Alaska actually produced 2,417.1 trillion BTUs [British Thermal Units] of energy in 2005, the last year for which full state numbers are available. That's equal to just 3.5 percent of the country's domestic energy production. And according to EIA analyst Paul Hess, that would calculate to only '2.4 percent of the 100,368.6 trillion BTUs the U.S. consumes.' "
In contrast to Hannity, during her September 17 report on NBC's Nightly News, correspondent Savannah Guthrie challenged Palin's claim that "[m]y job has been to oversee nearly 20 percent of the U.S. domestic supply of oil and gas," saying, "[N]o matter how you slice it, she's wrong. Alaska accounts for only 3.5 percent of America's total energy production, 7.5 percent of oil and gas."
From the September 17 edition of ABC Radio Networks' The Sean Hannity Show:
HANNITY: By the way, Senator, she's very convinced she can convince you into drilling at ANWR.
McCAIN: You know, that's what happens when you throw two mavericks together, you know. So, I'd -- listen, I -- she -- you know, we can talk about experience. What's one of the -- one of the major, if not the major, challenge to America? Energy independence. Who knows more about energy than the governor of the state that provides 20 percent of America's energy requirements, who is responsible for a $40 billion natural gas pipeline that's going to bring energy relief and independence -- move towards independence -- help us in our move towards independence than Governor Sarah Palin?
From the September 17 edition of NBC's Nightly News with Brian Williams:
WILLIAMS: Sarah Palin in Cleveland earlier today -- hard to believe she made her convention debut just two weeks ago today in St. Paul. Americans, after all, are still getting to know her. Reporters are still fact-checking what they hear from her, as our own Savannah Guthrie does for us tonight.
GUTHRIE: Her running mate has said she knows more about energy than anyone in America.
McCAIN: She knows more about energy than probably anyone else in the United States of America.
GUTHRIE: And in her first television interview since being nominated, Sarah Palin herself said this:
PALIN: As the governor of the state that produces nearly 20 percent of the U.S. domestic supply of energy --
GUTHRIE: A remark she refined a bit this week.
PALIN: My job has been to oversee nearly 20 percent of the U.S. domestic supply of oil and gas.
GUTHRIE: But no matter how you slice it, she's wrong. Alaska accounts for only 3.5 percent of America's total energy production, 7.5 percent of oil and gas. A campaign spokesperson now says the governor was only talking about oil.
MEGHAN STAPLETON (McCain-Palin spokesperson): When you look at the domestic oil production, we do supply 15 to 20 percent.
