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Policy Positions Re: ENERGY AND THE ENVIRONMENT

How do Sens. John McCain (R-Ariz.) and Barack Obama (D-Ill.) differ on energy and the environment? The National Journal compared and contrasted the two presidential candidates. Below is a summary:


McCAIN ON ENERGY AND THE ENVIRONMENT

Climate change:

• McCain favors controlling greenhouse-gas emissions by capping U.S. global-warming pollutants and allowing companies to buy and sell emission "credits."
• Polluters would have until 2050 to cut their emissions by 60 percent below 1990 levels.
• Under his plan, credits would be distributed free of charge to polluting companies.
• He envisions eventually auctioning some credits and dedicating the money to new energy technologies.

Nuclear power:

• McCain seeks to build 45 additional nuclear power plants by 2030.
• He would create an international repository for commercial radioactive waste that would eliminate the need to begin storing depleted nuclear fuel rods at Nevada's Yucca Mountain.

Oil:

• McCain supports new oil and gas development off U.S. shores, but not in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, and stricter regulation of the oil futures market and favors research into new technologies to lessen dependence on oil.
• He opposes mandating tougher fuel-efficiency standards for cars and trucks, and has called for suspending federal gasoline and diesel taxes, which he insists would ease summer fuel prices.

Ethanol:

• McCain supports the development of new ethanol technologies that use switchgrass or other nonfood crops; he opposes federal subsidies for the fuel additive.
• He asked the Bush administration to waive federal mandates requiring petroleum refiners to blend increasing amounts of ethanol into gasoline.

Public lands:

• McCain backs legislation to restore the Florida Everglades.
• He opposes Clinton-era proposals to block development in 60 million acres of roadless federal lands.

Source: "McCain on Energy and the Environment," in "Where They Stand," National Journal, August 30, 2008.

For text:

http://www.nationaljournal.com/njmagazine/nj_20080830_3632.php



OBAMA ON ENERGY AND THE ENVIRONMENT

Climate change:

• Obama backs ambitious legislation to cut U.S. global-warming pollution 80 percent below 1990 levels by 2050.
• Under his cap-and-trade proposal, the federal government would auction greenhouse-gas emission "credits" to companies that want to continue to pollute.
• Money from the auction would be used to develop clean-energy technologies, increase efficiency and underwrite the labor costs of transitioning to new technologies.

Nuclear power:

• Obama wants to keep the nuclear power option open but says that the United States should not build more reactors until the industry finds a safe way to dispose of commercial nuclear waste.
• He opposes dumping radioactive wastes at Nevada's Yucca Mountain.

Oil:

• Obama reversed his anti-drilling position to support oil exploration along the southeastern coast and Florida shores.
• He favors proposals to require oil companies to use existing drilling leases, and calls for selling 70 million barrels of oil stockpiled in the Strategic Petroleum Reserve.
• He would impose tougher controls on oil speculation, end tax breaks for the oil and gas industry, impose a "windfall profits" tax on multinational oil companies and enact tougher fuel-economy standards on new cars and trucks.

Electricity:

• Obama would require power companies to generate one-quarter of their electricity from solar, wind or other sustainable sources by 2025.
• He also favors ambitious efficiency goals for new and existing buildings.

Alternative transportation fuels:

Obama backs federal ethanol mandates and seeks greater federal support for making ethanol from nonfood crops.
He supports development of coal-to-oil technologies, although he now says that all new fuels should have to meet a national low-carbon standard.

Source: "Obama on Energy and the Environment," in "Where They Stand," National Journal, August 30, 2008.

For text:

http://www.nationaljournal.com/njmagazine/nj_20080830_3632.php