Forget boxers or briefs. You want to know about candidates' stances on energy and the environment, right? Well, you've come to the right place. Below you'll find a quick-and-dirty rundown on each candidate, with links to interviews and fact sheets, where they’re available, on the Grist Web site.
Note: Descriptions of candidates and their positions are not and should not be perceived as endorsements. Neither Grist nor MSN Green endorses political candidates.
The Republicans
Climate and energy are not animating issues for the conservative base, which tends to be much more aroused by terrorism and immigration. As a consequence, the positions taken by Republican presidential candidates have been somewhat fragmented and in many cases desultory. Only McCain has been out front on climate change; the others tend to grudgingly acknowledge its existence but hedge on whether human beings are causing it. Nearly all support energy independence, defined as not sending money to terrorists, but without climate as a tempering concern this tends to translate into indiscriminate support for any domestic energy source, including dirty fuels like oil and coal.
Rudy Giuliani
Giuliani is campaigning primarily on the foreign-policy and national-security bona fides he developed as, um, mayor of New York City. He does "believe there's global warming," but is silent on what ought to be done about it. His law firm has a long record of lobbying for dirty energy companies. According to his
energy plan, he's in favor of just about everything: nuclear power, coal, renewables, efficiency, drilling for oil and gas, strengthening the electrical grid, and the kitchen sink. The plan is light on specifics and numbers. Giuliani has said he opposes any new energy taxes. -- DR
Check out a fact sheet on Giuliani.
Mike Huckabee
Huckabee
talks bold on energy independence, claiming it would be his first priority as president and that he will "achieve" it by the end of his second term. He fudges on anthropogenic global warming, but says we should act as though it's a reality by aggressively getting off of fossil fuels within 10 years. He would increase the budget for alternative energy and pursue a grab bag of solutions: efficiency, nuclear, wind, solar, hydrogen, "clean coal," biodiesel, and biomass. Huckabee is the one Republican contender who has made energy independence a central issue and seems genuinely committed to pursuing it. -- DR
Read an interview with Huckabee.
Check out a fact sheet on Huckabee.
John McCain
McCain has been outspoken about global warming -- it's one of the
linchpins of his increasingly tarnished "maverick" image. He introduced one of the first bills in the Senate to address it: the Climate Stewardship Act of 2003, cosponsored with Joe Lieberman. Reintroduced in 2005 and again in 2007, it would establish a cap-and-trade system aimed at lowering greenhouse-gas emissions 65 percent by 2050 (and heavily subsidizing nuclear power). McCain has supported modest increases in fuel-efficiency standards, and has spoken out against handouts to Big Oil. He used to be almost alone in Congress in opposing ethanol subsidies, but since launching his latest presidential campaign, he has changed his tune. He's more serious about climate and energy than his main Republican competitors. -- DR
Read an interview with McCain.
Check out a fact sheet on McCain.
Mitt Romney
Romney has carefully avoided saying whether he believes in anthropogenic global warming, but as governor of Massachusetts in 2004, he offered a "Climate Protection Plan" as an insurance policy ... just in case. Its goal was to reduce the state's emissions to 1990 levels by 2010, but it contained largely voluntary measures. In December 2005, he pulled Massachusetts out of the Northeast Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative at the last minute, worried about costs. He has said he would consider a cap on emissions, but only if all other countries participate (which is highly unlikely). Romney
supports energy independence via increased domestic drilling, liquid coal, nuclear, and biofuels; he opposes increasing fuel-economy standards on their own, but hasn't ruled it out as part of a broader energy plan. Critics on both sides of the aisle see climate and energy as an example of Romney's slippery lack of firm principle. -- DR
Check out a fact sheet on Romney.
Click here to see the Democratic candidates’ stances
The Democrats
All of the Democratic presidential candidates put energy independence and climate change among their top-tier issues. They all support carbon cap-and-trade systems of varying strengths. They all talk up renewable energy and hybrid cars. Most support ethanol and "clean coal." Though longshots like Richardson and Dodd were the first to stake bold claims on these issues, all three frontrunners have since issued strong, thoughtful plans. No matter which way they go, green Democratic primary voters are unlikely to be disappointed. --
David Roberts
Hillary Clinton
Clinton has long recognized climate change as a problem but was vague about solutions until early November 2007, when she released one of the most comprehensive and well-researched energy plans of the campaign season. It follows Edwards' and Obama's plans in proposing a cap-and-trade system that would cut greenhouse-gas emissions 50 percent from 1990 levels by 2050, and would auction 100 percent of the pollution permits. Overall, the two biggest areas of focus are efficiency and investment. The former would boost standards for everything from vehicles to buildings to the electricity grid; the latter would channel money to renewables, plug-in hybrids, and carbon sequestration. Clinton would also create a National Energy Council to coordinate action across federal agencies. The plan is not radically different from those of the other frontrunners, but in typical Clinton fashion, all the i's are dotted and t's crossed. --
DR
Read an interview with Clinton.
Check out a fact sheet on Clinton.
John Edwards
Edwards is running left. He was, on climate and energy as on many other issues, the prime mover, staking out strong,
comprehensive climate and energy positions that the other Democratic frontrunners later adopted. He's stumping for 80 percent cuts in greenhouse-gas emissions by 2050, with 100 percent permit auctions, and fleshing that goal out with detailed proposals for big boosts in renewables and fuel efficiency, changes to the energy grid and efficiency standards, a green-jobs program, and more. Edwards can no longer claim to be the greenest Dem frontrunner -- that's a tight competition -- but he gets credit for getting there first. --
DR
Read an interview with Edwards.
Check out a fact sheet on Edwards.
Barack Obama
Obama was largely platitudinous on energy and climate for the early part of his campaign. His rhetoric soared, but his policy ideas were tepid. He even, to the horror of greens, did some cheerleading for liquefied coal. All was forgiven when he released his energy/climate proposal in October 2007. It was thoughtful, detailed, expansive, and ambitious. His cap-and-trade system would aim for 80 percent emission reductions by 2050 and, crucially, would auction 100 percent of the pollution permits. (Edwards claims to have been there first.) The proposal also described a $150 billion investment plan 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. If the white paper accurately reflects Obama's head and heart, he's in the (now-crowded) top tier on this issue, along with Edwards, Dodd, Richardson, and Clinton. --
DR
Read an interview with Obama.
Check out a fact sheet on Obama.
Article: How Green Is Your (Republican) Candidate? A snapshot of the Republican presidential candidates' energy plans and environmental positions : Page 1
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