Editor’s note: Let the race begin! As Senator Obama is now the presumptive Democratic nominee, it’s time to start comparing his plans and record with that of presumptive Republican nominee Senator McCain. Our friends at Low Impact Living get the ball rolling… This post was originally published on Wednesday, June 4, 2008.
Now that we seem to have a Democratic candidate, we all need to be digging into the environmental views and policy plans of Senators Obama and McCain.
To help us sort it out, Reuters has published a featured called FACTBOX: U.S. Presidential Candidates on the Environment and Energy. It’s a good piece and we encourage you to read it. Here are some highlights:
On Climate Change
- Obama would cut carbon dioxide emissions to 80 percent below 1990 levels by 2050, reduce emissions to 1990 levels by 2020 and require fuel suppliers to cut carbon content by 10 percent by 2020.
- McCain favors a cap-and-trade approach to carbon emissions. He sponsored legislation in 2007 to cut emissions by 30 percent by 2050.
On Oil Use
- Obama would reduce overall U.S. oil consumption by at least 35 percent by 2030.
- McCain has no specific targets. He says he will unveil a strategy to reduce reliance on foreign oil sources.
On Biofuels
- Obama would boost the renewable fuel standard to at least 60 billion gallons of advanced biofuels like cellulosic ethanol by 2030. He would also mandate that all new vehicles be “flex-fuel” by the end of 2012.
- McCain favors ethanol incentives after opposing them in the past. He generally opposes subsidies and tariffs that distort the marketplace.
Grist has also done some excellent interviews with the candidates on their environmental positions. Click here to read McCain on the Record, and click here to read Obama’s views.
What do YOU think of the candidates’ stances on the environment? Who are you supporting and why?
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1 comentarios:
June 9, 2008 5:44 PM
I would am definitely excited by the idea of having a president with the type of long term ecological vision for our country like what you have outlined here.
I sell real estate in Santa Monica California and here is some info about what we are doing in our city--
Here is some info on Santa Monica's Green City initiatives for anyone who's interested: # On the West Coast, Santa Monica wants to be the nation’s first “Net Zero” city. Through energy efficiency, solar and other renewable energy, the city envisions generating clean energy that matches its total energy consumption.
I have a bit more about this on my blog at my web-site: Santa Monica Real Estate
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