COMPARING THE PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATES
Sen. McCain’s
Energy Plan Highlights
Sen. McCain’s
Key Votes
Sen. Obama’s
Energy Plan Highlights
Sen. Obama’s
Key Votes
Green-Collar
Jobs
• Invest some proceeds from cap-and-trade system in green-jobs
training
• Green Jobs Corps would connect
disadvantaged youth with skills
Renewable
Energy (RE)
• Supports “even-handed” tax • Didn’t vote on RE tax credit • Federal RPS to require 25% of • Didn’t vote on RE tax credit
credits to remain in place until extensions (2008) retail electricity comes from extensions (2008)
RE is competitive with conven- • Didn’t vote on Clean Energy Act renewables by 2025 • Voted for Clean Energy Act of
tional energy of 2007 • Use proceeds of cap-and-trade 2007
• Use a portion of cap-and-trade • Voted against effort to establish program to invest $150 billion • Voted yes on effort to establish a
program proceeds for grid a national renewable portfolio over 10 years in “climate-friendly national RPS (2005)
improvements to support greater standard, or RPS (2005) energy”: RE, smart grid • As a state senator, cosponsored
use of RE, to advance carbon • Voted to defund renewable technology, next-gen biofuels and a bill to create an RPS in Illinois
capture and sequestration, and to energy (1999) fuel infrastructure, plug-in hybrids similar to the one passed there
advance flex-fuel, hybrid and and low-emission coal plants in 2007
hydrogen-powered vehicles • Extend production tax credit, set
to expire Dec. 31, five years
Energy
Efficiency (EE)
• Increase efficiency requirements
for new federal buildings
Improve U.S. efficiency 50% by
2030 through several initiatives:
• Make all new federal buildings
zero-emissions by 2025
• Make all new U.S. buildings
carbon-neutral by 2030
Climate Change
Strategy
• Implement a market-based
carbon cap-and-trade system
with graduated reduction goals.
Ultimate target: 60% below 1990
levels by 2050
• Not present for Lieberman- • Implement a market-based cap- • Not present for Lieberman-Warner
Warner greenhouse gas cap-and- and-trade system to reduce carbon greenhouse gas cap-and-trade vote
trade vote (2008) emissions 80% below 1990 levels (2008)
• Sponsored Climate Stewardship by 2050 • Voted for factoring climate change
Act for tradable carbon allowances into federal project planning
in 2005 and cosponsored similar (2007)
bills in 2003, 2007
Oil and
Natural Gas
• His Lexington Project strongly • Voted to expand resource explo-
supports increased domestic ration in Gulf of Mexico (2006)
exploration of oil and natural gas • Voted to disallow oil leasing in
• Reform laws and regulations the Arctic National Wildlife
governing the oil futures market Refuge (2005) and to block ANWR
to address speculative oil pricing drilling (2002, 2003, 2005)
• Voted against legislation to reduce
oil usage 40% (instead of 5%) by
2025 (2005)
• Reduce oil consumption at least
35%, or 10 million barrels, by
2030
• Voted against expanded resource
exploration in Gulf of Mexico
(2006)
• Voted to disallow oil leasing in
ANWR (2005) and to ban ANWR
drilling (2005)
• Voted to reduce oil usage 40%
(instead of 5%) by 2025 (2005)
Coal
• Lexington Project will commit
$2 billion annually to advance
“clean coal”
• Increase deployment of low-carbon coal technologies through
efforts such as a ban on new
traditional coal facilities
• Use a portion of cap-and-trade
proceeds to fund low-emission
coal plants
Nuclear Power
• Construct 45 new plants by 2030,
with goal of constructing 100
plants
• Work to overcome security, waste
transport and storage issues
• Expand use if we address public • Sponsored a bill to notify public
right-to-know, security of spent when nuclear releases occur
fuel and waste, waste storage and (2006)
proliferation • Introduced legislation to establish
guidelines to track spent fuel
(2005)
Low-Carbon
Transport
• Encourage development of a • Voted for legislation targeting
zero-carbon-emission car through 100,000 hydrogen-powered
a $5,000 consumer tax credit. vehicles by 2010 (2003)
• Award $300 million for • Voted to block legislation that
development of a battery for would have terminated fuel-
commercial electric vehicles efficiency standards (2002)
• Level the field for promising fuel
alternatives by eliminating
“special-interest subsidies” for
corn-based ethanol
• Use a portion of cap-and-trade
system proceeds to fund advanced
vehicles
* Create a Global Energy Forum
to focus on energy,
environmental issues
* Create a program to export U.S.
Department of Energy technologies to developing countries
Information derived from sources available on July 16. In August, in response to an emerging Senate compromise on a comprehensive energy policy, both candidates revised several positions.
September/October 2008 43
U.S. Leadership
on Climate
Change
• Apply a principle of equal treatment, working with world governments to engage China and India
in a carbon cap system similar to
that proposed for United States
• Double fuel-economy standards • Cosponsored a low-carbon fuel
within 18 years and provide standard (2007)
incentives to U.S. automakers • Cosponsored legislation
• Establish a low-carbon fuel stan- mandating production of 18 bil-
dard requiring fuel suppliers to lion gallons of renewable fuels
reduce carbon emissions 10% by 2016 (2007)
by 2020 • Sponsored a bill to raise fuel-effi-
• Require 36 billion gallons of ciency standards 4% per year until
renewable fuels to be included in 2018 (2006)
U.S. fuel supply by 2022, and 60 • Voted for a budget amendment
billion gallons by 2030 promoting biofuels and hybrid
• Use a portion of cap-and-trade cars (2006)
system proceeds to fund advanced
vehicles
➔
CLICK ON: Positions
changed as the energy
debate evolved in August.
See candidate websites
for latest information.
