Environmental Policy in the 2008 Presidential Election

By Liza Weingarten
YAC, Virtual Volunteer
We are constantly surrounded by critical reminders to conserve energy, recycle, and reuse to prevent global warming and the destruction of the environment. Environmental issues have become an important topic in our everyday lives, as the 2008 presidential election steadily approaches, it is increasingly essential to consider the environmental policies of each candidate. Who will best lead the country to reduce its ecological footprint? Whose policies will serve our planet best while making sure that we have enough energy to support our country? Here is a comparison of the environmental opinions of a selection of the foremost candidates in the two main political parties.

Democrats:

Hillary Clinton [official campaign site]- Current senator Hillary Clinton supports policies to reduce carbon emissions and harmful pollution. As president, she plans to invest in clean energy technologies, establish a national market-based program to reduce global warming pollution, increase the national fuel efficiency and establish the United States as an international leader in efforts to address global climate change. Ms. Clinton has introduced a plan in Congress to create a “Strategic Energy Fund” that would contribute to research, development and deployment of renewable energy.

"I am proposing an Apollo like effort to make clean energy, the energy of America. The country that split the atom and put a man on the moon can take the oil out of our tanks and utilize the power of technology to find smart solutions for our energy future. I am proposing legislation that will create a strategic energy fund that will invest in developing and employing clean and alternative energy."

Barack Obama [official campaign site]- As president, current senator Barack Obama plans to develop a bill to help determine how best to reduce greenhouse gasses using cost-effective methods. The revenues from this program would be directed partially toward funding research to develop energy efficient technologies. As senator, Obama led an effort to raise long-time- frozen fuel economy standards through the Obama-Lugar-Biden bill. His campaign describes Obama as “an original cosponsor of legislation to establish limits on greenhouse gas emissions.”

"We know our oil dependency is jeopardizing our planet as well. That the fossil fuels we burn are setting off a chain of dangerous weather patterns that could condemn future generations to global catastrophe."

John Edwards dropped out of the race on January 30th, 2008.
John Edwards [official campaign site]- In his campaign, Edwards calls for three goals for the current generation:

1. Halt global warming by capping and reducing greenhouse gas pollution and leading the world to a new global climate change treaty.
2. Create a new energy economy and 1 million new jobs by investing in clean, renewable energy, sparking innovation, a new era in American industry, and life in family farms.
3. Meet the demand for new electricity through efficiency for the next decade, instead of producing more power.
4. Among the anticipated results of these goals: America would import fewer barrels of oil and cars would be virtually petroleum free.

Republicans

John McCain [official campaign site] -Senator John McCain describes “ensuring clean air, safe and healthy water, sustainable land use, ample green-space and the faithful care and management of our natural treasures, including our proud National Park System” as a “patriotic responsibility.” His “common sense” approaches to limit carbon emissions by controlling market forces would bring advanced technologies, such as nuclear energy, to the market faster, reduce the United States’ dependence on foreign supplies of energy, and would help the country become a leader and role model to the world in environmental issues.

Micke Huckabee [official campaign site]

• The first thing I will do as President is send Congress my comprehensive plan for energy independence. We will achieve energy independence by the end of my second term.
• Achieving energy independence is vital to achieving success both in the war on terror and in globalization. Energy independence will help guarantee both our safety and our prosperity.

"We've got to become energy independent in less than ten years...Here's how we can do it. Turn this country loose with technology. Make sure we don't tax the very resources we are trying to create. Whether its wind or solar, whether its nuclear, or domestically produced oil (only for the interim, because we have to get away from oil all together), but renewable, environmentally friendly sources of energy, that would include biofuels, hydrogen, hydrogen cells...there are a lot of different options. I don't think our energy needs are best met by any one of them, but by all of them in a combination."

Mitt Romney dropped out of the race on February 7th, 2008.
Mitt Romney [official campaign site] - Based on Romney's website the environment is not a main issue however he does talk about green solutions to our energy problems.

"I believe we are seeing global warming and I believe humans are contributing to it. I don't know how much global warming is because of our activity, I just don't know that answer."

"We're using too much oil," Romney said. "We have an answer. We can use alternative sources of energy -- biodiesel, ethanol, nuclear power -- and we can drill for more oil here. We can be more energy independent and we can be far more efficient in the use of that energy." - Governor Romney, Waterloo Courier, September 29, 2006

Rudy Giuliani dropped out of the race on January 30th, 2008.
Rudy Giuliani  [official campaign site] While the former New York Mayor has supported alternative energy funding, he has opposed Carbon Taxes and Credits, opposed mandating fuel-efficiency standards on American automakers, opposed international environmental treatiesa and supported domestic oil driliing.

Fred Thompson dropped out of the race on January 22nd, 2008.
Fred Thompson [official campaign site] -Similar to Mr. Giuliani, Mr. Thompson has not publicly taken a stance

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