Obama and Biden’s Energy Policies

 

According to Obama and Biden’s website, there are some pretty good plans for alternative energy, conservation and the energy crisis in general.  Here the main bullet points:

“The Obama-Biden comprehensive New Energy for America plan will:

·         Provide short-term relief to American families facing pain at the pump

·         Help create five million new jobs by strategically investing $150 billion over the next ten years to catalyze private efforts to build a clean energy future.

·         Within 10 years save more oil than we currently import from the Middle East and Venezuela combined.

·         Put 1 million Plug-In Hybrid cars — cars that can get up to 150 miles per gallon — on the road by 2015, cars that we will work to make sure are built here in America.

·         Ensure 10 percent of our electricity comes from renewable sources by 2012, and 25 percent by 2025.

·         Implement an economy-wide cap-and-trade program to reduce greenhouse gas emissions 80 percent by 2050.”

Here’s the complete fax sheet:

http://www.barackobama.com/pdf/factsheet_energy_speech_080308.pdf

I like the fact that he’s got a plan for bridging the gap from old the pain at the pumps to creating new green jobs to energize renewable clean energy.  It is imperative that we wean ourselves from imported oil from the Middle East and Venezuela.

I also like the Plug-In hybrid cars but I’d like to see more electrics on the road and I’d also like to see more specific details in his transportation alternatives provision. Specifically a policy to restore light rails to our metropolitan areas and high speed rail between all are major cities.  The provision where electricity comes from renewable sources is an absolute necessity.  I’m not so sure about the cap-and-trade program is the best way to reduce greenhouse gas emissions but Obama is going to try to auction off these credit allowances; this should generate about fifteen billion dollars every year and pay for his proposal to provide federal funds for the research and development of new alternative-energy sources. This would also pay for the creation of job-training programs in green technologies to feed the growing industries.

The fact that his voting record supports his views is a definite plus.  Last year in June 2007, Obama voted to remove oil- and gas-exploration subsidies and voted to make oil-producing and -exporting cartels illegal. If you read his more detailed plan (in the link above) you will note that he backs windfall profit tax on petroleum companies (that have profited greatly from our misery) and many other great ideas that will both stimulate the economy and carry us into the future.

His programs deal with the long term vision that we need in our leadership.

JCE