Energy policy of the Presidential candidates....

Today’s post: Weds, 5-21-2008

A recent newspaper article compared the energy policies proposed by the 3 remaining candidates for President of the United States.

1. Both Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton were listed as proposing a goal of reducing C02 emissions to 80 % below 1990 levels by 2050.

John McCain was listed as proposing a goal of reducing C02 emissions to 60 % below 1990 levels by 2050.

This one is a mixed review.

Environmentally, 80 % is the number we likely need to get to. Advantage to the Democrats for that.

But given that we emitted more in 2006 than in 1990 by a good bit & 2007 was 1.6% ABOVE 2007 in the United States, 60 % below 1990 may be more achievable. And, sometimes setting more achievable goals produces more results than goals that sound good that no one believes are reachable.

But the big news is that McCain HAS a CO2 reduction goal.

Over-all, I rate this category as even.

2. On Nuclear Energy as a solution, John McCain is strongly for it; Barack Obama is willing to use it but as a second priority AFTER adding renewable sources and energy efficiency get the most emphasis. Hillary Clinton has valid concerns about using nuclear energy but sounds like she simply would decline to use it if elected.

Obama & McCain sound like they would address the concerns but use some nuclear power.

Since in the early stages of renewable energy technology & deployment, it will have less capacity than nuclear power to reduce our dependence on oil as a national security issue & on both oil and coal for CO2 reduction, between Clinton & Obama, I rate this as a strong advantage to Obama.

Between Obama & McCain I think this comes out about even to slight advantage Obama. I totally agree with Obama that the first priority must be to dramatically increase our energy efficiency & to accelerate the development & deployment of renewable sources. So he gets the advantage on that part of it. But nuclear has the capacity to get fast progress in the early stages, so McCain’s stand on nuclear itself may be closer to what we really need.

All three support cap & trade arrangements with binding caps on CO2 emissions.

However, to get these to work, the oil companies need to invest some of their currently high profits AND their tax subsidies they currently get into diversifying into energy efficiently produced biofuels & electricity produced by renewable energy to be used by electric & plug-in hybrid vehicles.

Failing that, & mostly that has been the case, compared to what they clearly should be doing, it likely does make sense to gradually eliminate their tax breaks.

On the other hand, getting them to do the right thing instead of spending on lobbying to avoid it may depend on working with them rather than just pitting government power against their perceived interests.

The President that I think got the balance right between making real progress & avoiding excessive friction caused by ignoring the perceived interests of business was BILL Clinton. That’s why I am comfortable with Hillary as President if it were somehow to happen.

Obama shows signs of not understanding this issue enough to know how to manage it well while McCain comes across as too willing to continue the highly favored treatment of the oil companies that the Bush administration has had even if it compromises the development of renewable energy sources.

So I rate this category close to even now.

But my preference is for Obama to win & then bring on Bill Clinton as his advisor on this issue.

I don’t think we can afford to continue the policies of the Bush administration on energy.

The good news is that if McCain wins, things will be somewhat better instead of a total disaster.

The problem with that is for national security & to prevent frightening future environmental & economic problems from excessive fossil fuel use, somewhat better is NOT good enough.

It is closer than I expected early on; but I still think Obama is the most likely of the three to get the job done that we need to have done on energy policy.

(Based on his comments on renewable energy & energy policy in his book, I have been seriously disappointed in Obama’s failure to emphasize the importance of energy policy in his campaign & to explain to voters that getting it right will enable them to HAVE jobs & be able to afford to commute to them while not doing so at some point will have the reverse effect.

And, though it isn’t his strength, McCain’s energy positions are nowhere as weak as I expected them to be.)