Palin from her RNC speech:
http://blogs.suntimes.com/sweet/2008/09/sarah_palin_gop_convention_spe.html"What does he actually seek to accomplish after he's done turning back the waters and healing the planet? (Laughter, applause.) The answer -- the answer is to make government bigger and take more of your money and give you more orders from Washington and to reduce the strength of America in a dangerous world." (Boos.)
Obama on the Environment:from Grist:
In the early months of Barack Obama's presidential campaign, enviros were skeptical of his (now heavily qualified) support for coal-to-liquids technology and unvarnished enthusiasm for ethanol, but he earned their respect with his aggressive climate and energy plan.
The plan centers on a cap-and-trade system that aims for 80 percent emission reductions from 1990 levels by 2050 and calls for auctioning 100 percent of the pollution permits.
It also includes a $150 billion investment to boost clean energy and create green jobs, along with fine-grained proposals to boost efficiency, build a smart electricity grid, and encourage public transportation.
Enviros have also applauded Obama's refusal to endorse a gas-tax holiday and his now somewhat qualified opposition to offshore oil drilling. Obama earned an 86 percent rating from the League of Conservation Voters for his first three years representing Illinois in the U.S. Senate (a lower score than might have been because he missed some votes while campaigning for president).
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http://www.grist.org/feature/2007/07/30/obama_factsheet/ * Calls for cutting U.S. carbon dioxide emissions 80 percent below 1990 levels by 2050. Would accomplish this through a cap-and-trade system that would auction off 100 percent of emissions permits, making polluters pay for the CO2 they emit.
* Would channel revenue raised from auctioning emissions permits -- between $30 billion and $50 billion a year -- toward developing and deploying clean energy technology, creating "green jobs," and helping low-income Americans afford higher energy bills.
* Calls for 25 percent of U.S. electricity to come from renewable sources by 2025, and for 30 percent of the federal government's electricity to come from renewables by 2020.
http://www.barackobama.com/issues/energy/ * Proposes investing $150 billion over 10 years in R&D for renewables, biofuels, efficiency, "clean coal," and other clean tech.
http://www.barackobama.com/issues/energy/ * Calls for improving energy efficiency in the U.S. 50 percent by 2030.
* Calls for 36 billion gallons of biofuels to be used in the U.S. each year by 2022 and 60 billion gallons of biofuels to be used in the U.S. each year by 2030.
http://www.barackobama.com/issues/energy/ * Calls for all new buildings in the U.S. to be carbon neutral by 2030.
* Calls for reducing U.S. oil consumption by at least 35 percent, or 10 million barrels a day, by 2030.
* Introduced the Health Care for Hybrids Act, which would have the federal government help cover health-care costs for retired U.S. autoworkers in exchange for domestic auto companies investing at least 50 percent of the savings into production of more fuel-efficient vehicles.
http://obama.senate.gov/press/070418-obama_inslee_in/ * Supports raising fuel-economy standards for automobiles to 40 miles per gallon and light trucks to 32 mpg by 2020.
http://obama.senate.gov/podcast/060511-a_real_solution/ * Supports a phaseout of incandescent light bulbs by 2014.
* Cosponsor of the Coal-to-Liquid Fuel Promotion Act. After being badgered by MoveOn and other progressives over the issue, he "clarified" his position by saying he would support liquefied coal only if it emitted 20 percent less carbon over its lifecycle than conventional fuels.
http://www.grist.org/news/muck/2007/01/12/unexpected/index.html#obamafrom the Chicago Tribune:
"We know that we've got an energy policy that is the absence of an energy policy," Obama said under a warm spring sun on the University of Iowa's campus. "It's an energy policy that sends $800 million a day to some of the most hostile nations on Earth, that leads us to fund both sides of the war on terrorism."
"The days of debate about whether or not the globe is getting warmer are over," he said. "There are about two holdouts left in the Bush White House. But everybody else across the planet knows that this is an issue that we've got to attend to."
Reiterating a proposal he made Friday in New Hampshire, Obama called for lower carbon emissions from fuels. His plan echoes an initiative of California Republican Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, who issued an executive order this year requiring fuels sold in his state to contain less carbon in order to cut emissions.
Obama essentially would impose the California plan on the nation, requiring that fuels sold in the U.S. contain 5 percent less carbon by 2015 and 10 percent less by 2020, something he said would be equivalent to taking 32 million cars off the road.
"That is something we could do right now," he said. "It is well within our capacity." Obama also called for boosting fuel efficiency standards for cars to an average 43 miles per gallon, saying the nation could then "import zero oil from the Middle East."
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http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/chi-070423obama-iowa,0,1524528.storyfrom the Chicago Sun-Times:
"When God created the Earth he entrusted us to take responsibility to take care of that Earth," Obama says, and we are not living up to our responsibility to ensure our children's future.
Fierce storms, raging forest fires and periods of drought are increasing and shrinking "polar ice caps are melting faster than anyone could have predicted," Obama says, noting that this will lead to hunger and an increase in illnesses such as asthma. Already one-third of children's asthma is caused by air pollution, he notes.
Drought is dislocating people around the world, he says, and 250 million could be forced from their homes by 2050.
"We cannot afford to let another year go by without taking bold action on climate change because the politics are too hard and too risky," Obama claimed. "I don't believe climate change is just a convenient issue to bring up in a campaign. It is one of the greatest challenges" that not only America, but the world, faces.
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http://www.suntimes.com/news/hunter/603699,CST-NWS-Hunter15.articleIn his speech accepting the Democratic Party nomination as its candidate for the 2008 Presidential election, Obama stated that "As President, I will tap our natural gas reserves, invest in clean coal technology, and find ways to safely harness nuclear power. I'll help our auto companies re-tool, so that the fuel-efficient cars of the future are built right here in America. I'll make it easier for the American people to afford these new cars. And I'll invest 150 billion dollars over the next decade in affordable, renewable sources of energy - wind power and solar power and the next generation of biofuels; an investment that will lead to new industries and five million new jobs that pay well and can't ever be outsourced."
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http://www.barackobama.com/2008/08/28/remarks_of_senator_barack_obam_108.phpHere's what Barack Obama's campaign says about President Bush's lifting of the ban that prevents offshore oil drilling:
"If offshore drilling would provide short-term relief at the pump or a long-term strategy for energy independence, it would be worthy of our consideration, regardless of the risks. But most experts, even within the Bush administration, concede it would do neither. It would merely prolong the failed energy policies we have seen from Washington for 30 years. Senator Obama believes Americans need real short-term relief, which is why he has proposed a second round of stimulus with energy rebates for working families. And over the long-term, Senator Obama understands that our national security and the survivial of the planet demand a real strategy to break our dependence on foreign oil by developing clean, new sources of energy and by vastly improving the energey efficiency of our cars, trucks and our economy. He is ready to lead such a transformation."
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http://miamiherald.typepad.com/nakedpolitics/2008/07/obama-drilling.htmlPalin on the Environment:from TIME:
Though warming is happening faster in Alaska than anywhere else in the U.S. — average temperatures in the country's biggest state have risen 3.6 degrees Fahrenheit over the past 50 years — Palin is on record doubting that human action is the main driver behind climate change. In a recent interview with Newsmax.com Palin noted that warming would affect Alaska "more than any other state, because of our location." But she added, "I'm not one though who would attribute it to being man-made." If Palin is still that ambivalent on climate change, it would put her to the right even of President Bush, who after years of claiming that more research was needed on the issue, now acknowledges the U.S. should reduce man-made carbon emissions to avert dangerous global warming.
More pertinent might be Palin's positions on oil drilling in Alaska, where rich petroleum reserves paid each citizen over $1,600 in dividends in 2007. Though the McCain campaign has made much of Palin's willingness to stand up to the powerful energy industry in Alaska — last year she adjusted the state Petroleum Profits Tax to close loopholes exploited by oil and gas companies — on the whole she's been a staunch supporter of fossil fuels. She opposes strengthening protections for beluga whales in Alaska's Cook Inlet, where oil and gas development has been proposed, and she spent $500 million in state money to encourage the development of a 1,700-mile pipeline that would transport natural gas from Alaska's rich North Shore. When the Department of the Interior in May listed the polar bear as a threatened species due to warming—an action that could interfere with drilling in Alaska's coastal waters, where the polar bears live —Palin sued the Federal Government in response. "Our main concern with Sarah Palin's positions are that they are based on doing what is best for the oil industry, and not what is best for Americans," says David Willett, national press secretary for the Sierra Club.
Palin's support for drilling in ANWR — opening up the refuge was one of her 2006 campaign positions — is particularly galling for environmentalists. The nearly 19 million acre slice of untouched northeastern Alaska has been a symbol of the struggle between energy exploration and the environment since its creation in 1960. ANWR is home to bears, gray wolves, sandhill cranes and a herd of caribou. According to the U.S. Geologic Service, it also may hold 10.3 billion bbl. of "technically recoverable undiscovered oil," which amounts to the largest onshore, unexplored oil deposits in the U.S. If you're going to "drill, drill, drill," as McCain has been saying, ANWR is where you would start.
But environmentalists say that Palin's push to open up ANWR to oil exploration would effectively destroy the refuge. Though only a 1.5 million acre coastal plain within ANWR is thought to contain petroleum, drilling would likely wreak havoc with wildlife well beyond that narrow strip of land. "The impact would be cumulative," says Margaret Williams, Alaska-based director of the World Wildlife Federation's Bering Sea Program. "You'd have road traffic, and flights overhead bringing in equipment. Development of the tundra would come with a very, very large footprint."
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http://www.time.com/time/politics/article/0,8599,1837868,00.htmlfrom the LaTimes:
Palin favored increased oil and gas drilling in sensitive lands and waterways, opposed federal action to list the polar bear as a species threatened with extinction and supports a controversial program to allow aerial shooting of wolves and bears as a means of predator control.
In her two years in office, Palin has given every indication that she intends to continue stocking the larder. She favors the construction of one of the world's largest mining complexes at the headwaters of Bristol Bay, home to the world's largest sockeye salmon fishery. Palin opposes greater protections for beluga whales found in the Cook Inlet, where oil and gas drilling and other development is proposed. And unlike her running mate, Palin favors drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, a recurring issue of debate during the Bush administration.
In May, the state (Gov. Palin) gave notice that it would sue the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to prevent the inclusion of the polar bear on the endangered species list as "threatened" as a consequence of shrinking Arctic ice caused by global warming.
Such a listing could be used to block drilling in the Arctic, which Palin supports.
Palin told federal officials that the state did a "comprehensive review" of the science and found no reason to support a listing. But an internal e-mail message from the head of the state Department of Fish and Game's marine mammals program and two other staff biologists agreed with the Department of Interior's conclusions that the science justified the listing. Palin did not publicly release the state's report.
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http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-mccainveepenviro30-2008aug30,0,235820.storyfrom Grist:
In 2006, while running for governor, Palin said of climate change, "I will not pretend to have all the answers," and cautioned against "overreaction" on the issue. A Palin spokesperson in 2006 said, "She's not totally convinced one way or the other. Science will tell us ... She thinks the jury's still out."
After Palin joined McCain's ticket, her spokesperson said, "Gov. Palin not only stands with John McCain in his belief that global warming is a critical issue that must be addressed, but she has been a leader in addressing climate change." Note that the statement dodges the issue of whether humans are responsible for global warming.
Palin has also opposed efforts to protect Cook Inlet beluga whales, a genetically distinct population of whales located only in this Alaskan inlet. Scientists estimate that they numbered 1,300 in the '80s; now they're down to just 375. Environmental groups have been pressing for a listing to protect the whales, but Palin has urged the federal government not to list, again citing threats to the oil and gas industry. "I am especially concerned that an unnecessary federal listing and designation of critical habitat would do serious long-term damage to the vibrant economy of the Cook Inlet area," said Palin in a statement last year.
Palin has also drawn heat from conservationists for pushing to let citizens shoot wolves from the air, and for supporting looser bear-hunting rules aimed at reducing bear populations in order to inflate numbers of moose and caribou, which draw big-game hunters to the state. She opposed a ballot initiative to change the law so that only Department of Fish and Game personnel could shoot wolves or bears from the air. She drew even more criticism for using $400,000 of taxpayer money to "educate Alaskans" about "predator control." The ballot initiative was voted down.
Palin has come into criticism recently for using her post as governor to influence a ballot initiative on clean water, which voters also rejected last week. "Proposition 4" would have prohibited or restricted new mining operations that could affect salmon in the state's streams and rivers, and was crafted in order to prevent the development of the Pebble Mine, which if approved would be the largest open-pit gold and copper mine in North America. Toxic runoff from the mine would threaten the Bristol Bay ecosystem, and put drinking water at risk. It is widely opposed by commercial fishers, native populations, and environmentalists in the state.
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http://gristmill.grist.org/story/2008/8/30/20129/1935from Jackson Free-Press:
Though the 72-year-old McCain still opposed opening ANWR—at least he did on Aug. 29—he picked a vice presidential running mate who doesn’t seem to believe human activity is responsible for global warming, and who fully endorses plowing up the refuge. Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin makes no bones about her desire to drill the area.
“Having a clean record on environmental regulation is critical to getting ANWR open and maintaining our fisheries, mining, timber, and tourism industries,” she wrote in a November 2006 campaign statement.
Alaskan Greenpeace campaigner Melanie Duchin lamented that few people are more determined to destroy Alaska’s pristine outback than Alaskans, particularly its governor.
“What worries me the most is her record on global warming. Alaska’s on the frontlines in global warming. It’s warming here faster than in the rest of the country. We’re looking out the window and seeing the ice melt. Meanwhile Gov. Palin ... approved $2 million for a conference in Alaska to dispute the science supporting global warming, filled with junk science paid for by Exxon-Mobil,” Duchin told the Jackson Free Press. “She’s got to get her head out of the sand, and the only reason it’s in the sand is because she knows the only way to deal with global warming is to curtail pollution by cutting back on the extraction and use of fossil fuels.”
read:
http://www.jacksonfreepress.com/index.php/site/comments/drill_baby_drill_the_reality_of_mccain_palin_plan_090408/
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