Is There "Green" in the Republican Red? Taking a Look at the McCain/Palin Records on the Environment
by Jessica Bacques
Intern in Climate Change and Sustainability at the Lower East Side Ecology Center
by Jessica Bacques
Intern in Climate Change and Sustainability at the Lower East Side Ecology Center
According to John McCain's official campaign website, he lists five main policies that would make up his environmental campaign:
(1) climate policy should be based on scientifically sound mandatory emission reduction targets and timetables
(2) climate policy should utilize a market based cap and trade system
(3) climate policy must include mechanisms to minimize costs and work effectively with other markets
(4) climate policy must spur the developmental and deployment of advanced technology
(5) climate policy must facilitate international efforts to solve the problem
While all of these are important, the main part of his environmental campaign is based on a cap and trade policy. This would set limits on green house gas emissions while encouraging the development of low cost compliance options; allow entities to buy and sell rights to emit, a policy similar to the acid rain one already in existance; allow the marke to decide and encourage the lowest cost compliance options; and allow for the gradual reduction of emissions by encompassing electric power, transportation fuels, commercial business, and industrial business.
McCain's past work in environmental policy is quite impressive. In 2003, he cosponsored the first bill in the senate calling for mandatory reductions of greenhouse gases. His 2007 version, however, is less stringent. The Climate Stewardship and Innovation Act would cap global warming emissions from utilities, industry, and transport at 2004 levels by 2012, and then gradually reduce emissions 30% of 2004 levels by 2050.
He has flip-flopped on a few policies, most notably his ethanol policy. Before his most recent presidential campaign began, he spoke fervently against ethanol subsidies (government support for ethanol actually raises gasoline prices). He claimed that ethanol does nothing to make the U.S. more energy independent, questioned the science behind making fuel from corn, and stated that ethanol provides less energy than the fossil fuels consumed to produce it. Since his 2007-08 presidential campaign, however, he has changed his mind on his position on ethanol: when campaigning in Marcus, Iowa, a city where the corn production is the main source of money, he praised ethanol as an alternative fuel.
McCain also believes that the US should embrace nuclear power, and he wants to "find a way to use our coal resources without emitting excessive greenhouse gases" by supporting public-private partnerships to develop high-tech systems for coal gassification and carbon capture and storage.
In April 2008, he advocated a "gas-tax holiday" to ease consumer prices at gas pumps. This proposal would suspend the 18-cent federal gasoline tax and 24-cent diesel tax from Memorial Day to Labor Day and cost the government some $10 billion.
Sarah Palin's Climate Policy
In an op-ed from the January 5, 2008 edition of The New York Times, Sarah Palin speaks out against the Center for Biological Diversity. She believes that the Center for Biological Diversity is using its endangered species list, specifically the possible addition of the polar bears, as a way for the government to stop or severely limit any public or private action that produces or even allows greenhouse gas emission; however she states that the Endangered Species Act is not the right tool to address this issue. She is suing the Bush administration for putting the polar bears on the Endangered Species list.
Palin also believes that the oil resources in Alaska should be exploited, and that "a changing environment will affect Alaska more than any other state, because of our location. I'm not one though who would attribute it to being man-made."
She supports big-oil and coal firms who are looking to destroy the Alaskan wilderness by tapping into the oil resources there. She allows big game hunters to shoot Alaksan bears and wolves from low flying planes. She wants to bring open-cast coal mining to the Brooks Range mountains in Alaksa; and she has allowed Chevron to triple the amount of toxic waste it dumps into the waters of Cook Inlet. She has done this despite the almost complete extinction of the Beluga whale.
She stated that the McCain Palin administration is going lay more pipleines, build more nuclear plants, create jobs with clean coal, and move forward with solar, wind, geothermal and other alternative energy sources.
Bibliography
Birger, John. "McCain's Farm Flip." Fortune 13 Nov 2006 24 Sep 2008 <http://money.cnn.com/magazines/fortune/fortune_archive/2006/11/13/8393132/index.htm >.
Doyle, Leonard. "Palin: The Real Scandal." The Independent 6 Sept 2008 1 Oct 2008 <http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/palin-the-real-scandal-920803.html >.
Matt. "McCain flip-flops on offshore drilling moratorium." [Weblog Think Progress] 17 June 2008. 24 Sep 2008<http://thinkprogress.org/2008/06/17/mccain-flip-flops-on-offshore-drilling-moratorium/>.
Hymas Samkara, Todd, Kate Sheppard. "McCain on the Issues- A look at John McCain's Environmental Platform and Record." Grist- Environmental News and Commentary. 22 Aug 2008. 24 Sep 2008 <http://www.grist.org/feature/2007/10/01/mccain_factsheet/>.
McCain, John. McCain Palin- Country First: Reform. Prosperity, Peace. 09 26 2008. McCain-Palin 2008. 23 Sep 2008 <http://www.johnmccain.com/Informing/Issues/da151a1c-733a-4dc1-9cd3-f9ca5caba1de.htm>.
Palin. Sarah. "Bearing Up," The New York Times 05 01 2008. 23 Sep 2008 < >.
"Sarah Palin on Energy and Oil." On The Issues-Every Political Leader on Every Issues. 2008. On the Issues.org & the Speak Out Foundation . 16 Oct 2008 <http://www.ontheissues.org/sarah_Palin.htm#Energy_+_Oil>.
