If you are still working on your presidential ballot and want to consider what the candidates are saying about energy -- I looked at the top condidates for the both the Republican and Democratic parties and following are what they see as the top energy priorities:
REPUBLICANS
John McCain
- Supports mandatory cap-and-trade measures (which would cap greenhouse gas emissions and let companies trade emissions allowances)
- Supports increasing fuel-efficiency standards
- Supports nuclear power
- Opposes opening Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to oil and gas exploration
Mitt Romney
- Believes carbon emission reductions must be enacted globally
- Supports making energy independence a top administration priority
- Supports increasing federal spending on energy-related research
- Supports accelerating construction of nuclear power plants
- Supports increasing domestic production, including opening Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to oil and gas development
DEMOCRATS
Barack Obama
- Supports market-based cap-and-trade system to reduce carbon emissions 80% below 1990 levels by 2050
- Supports investing $150 billion over 10 years in "clean" energy sources
- Supports requiring that 25% of electricity be generated by renewable energy sources by 2025
- Supports doubling fuel-efficiency standards by 2026
Hillary Rodham Clinton
- Supports cap-and-trade program to reduce greenhouse gas emissions 80% below 1990 levels by 2050
- Supports 10-year, $150-billion energy package, including $50-billion Strategic Energy Fund to develop alternative energy sources
- Supports increasing fuel-efficiency standards to 55 mpg by 2030
- Supports a transition to renewable-energy sources, with a goal of generating 25% of electricity by 2025
Not surprising, both parties are in favor of a GHG cap -- and equally not surprising -- both parties will support new technologies and "greener" energy. The question none of them tackle is how that new generation will reach the consumer? I suppose it will be a challange that the eventual winner will have to help solve. In the meantime "green" is great, but making green available at your light-switch will be a matter solved only by new transmission. Hopefully our candidates will soon understand that.
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