The Candidates on Energy/Environment

On Friday April 11th I attended a Society of Environmental Journalists sponsored press conference featuring the Climate/Energy Advisors for the Clinton, Obama and McCain Presidential Campaigns. Representing Clinton, Obama and McCain respectively were: Todd Stern, Michael Grumet and James Woolsey. Each policy advisor made a 5 minute opening statement on his candidate’s climate and energy position, followed by questions from two press moderators. The final part of the conference was press questions from the floor. All representatives expressed that their candidate’s support for some form of carbon cap and trade. Clinton and Obama already offer fairly extensive energy/environment policies (see links below) The differences between them are fairly nuanced. While McCain supports cap and trade, biofuels and energy efficiency, his policies are considerably less specific. See these links for the official policies of each candidate and a transcription of a speech outlining McCain’s positions. Obama: http://www.barackobama.com/issues/energy/ Clinton: http://www.hillaryclinton.com/issues/energy/ McCain: http://johnmccain.com/Informing/Issues/65bd0fbe-737b-4851-a7e7-d9a37cb278db.htm and http://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2007/04/mccain_speech_on_energy_policy.htm At the press conference, neither the Clinton or Obama representative strayed from the policy stances outlined officially, but McCain’s advisor Jim Woolsey offered a few more policy ideas than available from the campaign website. Therefore, rather than trying to recap the questions and answers from the press conference I have provided verbatim energy/environment policy statements from the candidates’ websites below, plus additional remarks from the press conference expanding on these policies. Clinton: Website Policy on Energy/Environment States: • A new cap-and-trade program that auctions 100 percent of permits alongside investments to move us on the path towards energy independence; • An aggressive comprehensive energy efficiency agenda to reduce electricity consumption 20 percent from projected levels by 2020 by changing the way utilities do business, catalyzing a green building industry, enacting strict appliance efficiency standards, and phasing out incandescent light bulbs; • A $50 billion Strategic Energy Fund, paid for in part by oil companies, to fund investments in alternative energy. The SEF will finance one-third of the $150 billon ten-year investment in a new energy future contained in this plan; • Doubling of federal investment in basic energy research, including funding for an ARPA-E, a new research agency modeled on the successful Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency • Aggressive action to transition our economy toward renewable energy sources, with renewables generating 25 percent of electricity by 2025 and with 60 billion gallons of home-grown biofuels available for cars and trucks by 2030; • 10 "Smart Grid City" partnerships to prove the advanced capabilities of smart grid and other advanced demand-reduction technologies, as well as new investment in plug-in hybrid vehicle technologies; • An increase in fuel efficiency standards to 55 miles per gallon by 2030, and $20 billion of "Green Vehicle Bonds" to help U.S. automakers retool their plants to meet the standards; • A plan to catalyze a thriving green building industry by investing in green collar jobs and helping to modernize and retrofit 20 million low-income homes to make them more energy efficient; • A new "Connie Mae" program to make it easier for low and middle-income Americans to buy green homes and invest in green home improvements; • A requirement that all publicly traded companies report financial risks due to climate change in annual reports filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. • Creation of a "National Energy Council" within the White House to ensure implementation of the plan across the Executive Branch. • A requirement that all federal buildings designed after January 20, 2009 will be zero emissions buildings.” • Policy advisor Stern stated Clinton would consider nuclear power if safety issues addressed Obama: Website Policy on Energy/Environment States: • Cap and Trade: Obama supports implementation of a market-based cap-and-trade system to reduce carbon emissions by the amount scientists say is necessary: 80 percent below 1990 levels by 2050. Obama's cap-and-trade system will require all pollution credits to be auctioned. A 100 percent auction ensures that all polluters pay for every ton of emissions they release, rather than giving these emission rights away to coal and oil companies. Some of the revenue generated by auctioning allowances will be used to support the development of clean energy, to invest in energy efficiency improvements, and to address transition costs, including helping American workers affected by this economic transition. • Confront Deforestation and Promote Carbon Sequestration: Obama will develop domestic incentives that reward forest owners, farmers, and ranchers when they plant trees, restore grasslands, or undertake farming practices that capture carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. • Invest $150 Billion over 10 Years in Clean Energy: Obama will invest $150 billion over 10 years to advance the next generation of biofuels and fuel infrastructure, accelerate the commercialization of plug-in hybrids, promote development of commercial-scale renewable energy, invest in low-emissions coal plants, and begin the transition to a new digital electricity grid. A principal focus of this fund will be devoted to ensuring that technologies that are developed in the U.S. are rapidly commercialized in the U.S. and deployed around the globe. • Double Energy Research and Development Funding: Obama will double science and research funding for clean energy projects including those that make use of our biomass, solar and wind resources. • Invest in a Skilled Clean Technologies Workforce: Obama will use proceeds from the cap-and-trade auction program to invest in job training and transition programs to help workers and industries adapt to clean technology development and production. Obama will also create an energy-focused Green Jobs Corps to connect disconnected and disadvantaged youth with job skills for a high-growth industry. • Convert our Manufacturing Centers into Clean Technology Leaders: Obama will establish a federal investment program to help manufacturing centers modernize and Americans learn the new skills they need to produce green products. • Clean Technologies Deployment Venture Capital Fund: Obama will create a Clean Technologies Venture Capital Fund to fill a critical gap in U.S. technology development. Obama will invest $10 billion per year into this fund for five years. The fund will partner with existing investment funds and our National Laboratories to ensure that promising technologies move beyond the lab and are commercialized in the U.S • Require 25 Percent of Renewable Electricity by 2025: Obama will establish a 25 percent federal Renewable Portfolio Standard (RPS) to require that 25 percent of electricity consumed in the U.S. is derived from clean, sustainable energy sources, like solar, wind and geothermal by 2025. • Develop and Deploy Clean Coal Technology: Obama will significantly increase the resources devoted to the commercialization and deployment of low-carbon coal technologies. Obama will consider whatever policy tools are necessary, including standards that ban new traditional coal facilities, to ensure that we move quickly to commercialize and deploy low carbon coal technology. • Deploy Cellulosic Ethanol: Obama will invest federal resources, including tax incentives, cash prizes and government contracts into developing the most promising technologies with the goal of getting the first two billion gallons of cellulosic ethanol into the system by 2013. • Expand Locally-Owned Biofuel Refineries: Less than 10 percent of new ethanol production today is from farmer-owned refineries. New ethanol refineries help jumpstart rural economies. Obama will create a number of incentives for local communities to invest in their biofuels refineries. • Establish a National Low Carbon Fuel Standard: Barack Obama will establish a National Low Carbon Fuel Standard to speed the introduction of low-carbon non-petroleum fuels. The standard requires fuels suppliers to reduce the carbon their fuel emits by ten percent by 2020. • Increase Renewable Fuel Standard: Obama will require 36 billion gallons of renewable fuels to be included in the fuel supply by 2022 and will increase that to at least 60 billion gallons of advanced biofuels like cellulosic ethanol by 2030. • Increase Fuel Economy Standards: Obama will double fuel economy standards within 18 years. His plan will provide retooling tax credits and loan guarantees for domestic auto plants and parts manufacturers, so that they can build new fuel-efficient cars rather than overseas companies. Obama will also invest in advanced vehicle technology such as advanced lightweight materials and new engines. • Set National Building Efficiency Goals: Barack Obama will establish a goal of making all new buildings carbon neutral, or produce zero emissions, by 2030. He'll also establish a national goal of improving new building efficiency by 50 percent and existing building efficiency by 25 percent over the next decade to help us meet the 2030 goal. • Establish a Grant Program for Early Adopters: Obama will create a competitive grant program to award those states and localities that take the first steps to implement new building codes that prioritize energy efficiency. • Invest in a Digital Smart Grid: Obama will pursue a major investment in our utility grid to enable a tremendous increase in renewable generation and accommodate modern energy requirements, such as reliability, smart metering, and distributed storage • Create New Forum of Largest Greenhouse Gas Emitters: Obama will create a Global Energy Forum — that includes all G-8 members plus Brazil, China, India, Mexico and South Africa –the largest energy consuming nations from both the developed and developing world. The forum would focus exclusively on global energy and environmental issues. • Re-Engage with the U.N. Framework Convention on Climate Change: The UNFCCC process is the main international forum dedicated to addressing the climate problem and an Obama administration will work constructively within it. • Grumet stated Obama would consider nuclear power if safety concerns have been addressed. McCain: Website Policy on Environment States: “He has offered common sense approaches to limit carbon emissions by harnessing market forces that will bring advanced technologies, such as nuclear energy, to the market faster, reduce our dependence on foreign supplies of energy, and see to it that America leads in a way that ensures all nations do their rightful share.” • Woolsey added that McCain supports Cap and Trade for Carbon. He did not elaborate if initial credits would be awarded or auctioned. (McCain and Joe Lieberman sponsored the first Senate Cap and Trade bill in 2003 but McCain has not updated his official position.) • Woolsey added funding for clean energy initiatives by removing current subsidies on energy technologies that can stand on their own. No specifics about what these technologies might be. • Woolsey added emphasis on biofuels in addition to corn based ethanol • Woolsey added emphasis on hybrids, plug in hybrids and flex fuel vehicles • Woolsey affirmed nuclear power if safety issues addressed.

Comments

[Tim Wheeler]

Eric -

Thanks for providing a writeup of SEJ's session w/ the campaign advisors. Maybe it's my PC, but width of your blog post is too narrow, cutting off ends of each line.