McCain vs. McCain on the Environment

Last night in his acceptance speech at the Republican National Convention, Senator McCain vowed to put America ahead of party. 

This statement struck me as odd considering that since becoming the GOP's presumptive nominee, McCain has abandoned his past moderate environmental views and adopted the much less environmentally friendly platform of his party.

On Fuel Efficiency --- 

• Old McCain: In 2002 he sponsored a bill in the Senate with John Kerry raising fuel efficiency standards to 36 miles per gallon by 2016. Read more HERE. 
  
• New McCain: In 2007 he failed to even vote on a law, which passed the Senate 86-8, that raised fuel efficiency standards to 35 miles per gallon by 2020. Read more HERE.

On Global Warming ---

• Old McCain: In 2003, McCain and Joe Lieberman sponsored the Senate's first law that restricted carbon emissions. Read more HERE.
• New McCain: In 2007 the Senate failed by one vote to pass a tax credit that would help expand clean energy sources, McCain was the only Senator who didn't vote on the law. Read more HERE. 
• Old McCain: In 2003 & 2004, McCain held hearings on climate change as Chair of the Senate Commerce Committee. Read more HERE. 
• New McCain: In 2008, McCain flip-flopped on the bi-partisan Warner-Lieberman Climate Change Act, an aggressive piece of legislation written by Senior Republican Virginia Senator John Warner and Senior Independent Connecticut Senator Lieberman that was praised as a great step in fighting global warming.  During his campaign's "Green Tour" McCain said he would support the bill but later said he wouldn't support it. In the end, he just didn't vote at all. Read more HERE. 

On the Oil Industry ---

• Old McCain: In 2005, McCain voted against the 2005 Energy Bill which was written by Dick Cheney and old industry lobbyists behind closed doors. It gave billions in tax incentives to oil companies during their most profitable years. Read more HERE. 
• New McCain: In 2008, McCain's presidential platform includes $3.8 billion in tax breaks for the top 5 largest American oil companies. Read more HERE.  Shockingly, McCain's current "Renewable Energy" platform says he support tax subsidies until..."the market transforms sufficiently to the point where renewable energy no longer merits the taxpayers' dollars. "  In February,  Exxon-Mobile alone set the record for the highest annual and quarterly profits in American history, do profits like that "merit taxpayers' dollars?" Read more HERE.

On the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge ---

• Old McCain: In January of this year, McCain said drilling for oil in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge was akin to drilling for oil in the Grand Canyon and the Everglades. Read more HERE.
• New McCain: In June, he said he was willing to go back and reconsider drilling in ANWR. See the video HERE. In August he reiterated his plan to reconsider his opposition to drilling in ANWR.  Read more HERE. Just two weeks ago, McCain chose Sarah Palin as his running mate, she fully supports drilling for oil in ANWR immediately. Read more HERE. 

On Offshore Oil Drilling ---

• Old McCain: In 1999, as a presidential candidate, McCain scolded the Clinton administration for extending 36 offshore oil leaves along the California coast. He also scolded the special interests in Washington that sought offshore drilling leases. Read moreHERE. 
• New McCain: In June of this year, McCain called for the moratorium on offshore oil drilling to be lifted so oil companies could drill for oil in America's oceans. Immediately, McCain's oil industry executive campaign contributions raised from just over $200,000 in May to over $1.1 million in June. Read more HERE. 

On the League of Conservation Votes ---

• Old McCain: In 2004, McCain was endorsed by the League of Conservation Voters in his Senate Campaign. Read more HERE. 
• New McCain: In 2007, McCain received a 0% rating by the League of Conservation Voters because of his failure to vote on a single piece of environmental legislation. Now the League has endorsed his opponent, Barack Obama in the presidential election. Read more HERE.

On Keeping Your Tires Inflated --- 

• Current McCain: On August 4th, the McCain campaign handed out tire gauges to mock Obama's call to Americans to conserve gasoline by doing things like keeping tires inflated. McCain laughed at Obama's idea even though McCain supporters California Gov. Schwarzenegger and Florida Gov. Crist have recommended, along with Nascar, tire inflation for conservation. Read more HERE. 
• Current McCain: Two days later, McCain said at a town hall meeting, "Obama said a couple of days ago says we should all inflate our tires. I don't disagree with that. The American Automobile Association strongly recommends it." Read more HERE. 

The sad truth is that McCain has been debating McCain on environmental issues this entire campaign. He could participate in a lively and lengthy debate with himself on environmental policy for hours. It seems that when McCain is interested in exciting his base, he doesn't put "Country First."

A Must Read: Obama the Only Green Candidate Left

From Thomas L. Friedman of the New York Times

As we emerge from Labor Day, college students are gathering back on campuses not only to start the fall semester, but also, in some cases, to vote for the first time in a presidential election. There is no bigger issue on campuses these days than environment/energy. Going into this election, I thought that — for the first time — we would have a choice between two “green” candidates. That view is no longer operative — and college students (and everyone else) need to understand that.

Read Friedman's full article HERE. 

Palin Fought Polar Bear Protections for Oil Companies

Last Friday I posted about John McCain's running mate, Alaskan Gov. Sarah Palin, and her record on the environment. I knew at the time that she opposed protecting polar bears and I eventually learned she believes global warming is a myth. Now we're getting a clearer picture of just how far she is willing to go to protect oil companies and stop protections for threatened species. 

ABC News is reporting that Gov. Palin sued the Bush Administration this year to stop the listing of polar bears as threatened under the Endangered Species Act. She believed the government was too accepting of climate change science and its impact on the bears. She also feared that increasing protection for polar bears would negatively affect the oil and gas industries in Alaska.

The exact language from the Palin Administration lawsuit against the federal government stated..."Listing the polar bear as a threatened species [under the Endangered Species Act] will have a significant adverse impact on Alaska because. . . [it] will deter activities such as commercial fisheries, oil and gas exploration and development, transportation, and tourism"

The decision by the government to protect polar bears was largely based on the findings of the U.S. Geological Survey. In the Alaska lawsuit, these studies were questioned, despite the fact that Alaska's own state scientists stated that the Geological Survey's research was reliable. 

The science provided by the U.S. Geological Survey, an independent government agency, may not have been sufficient enough for Gov. Palin, but research paid for by Exxon-Mobile was. According to the ABC News article, Palin supported the conclusions of research funded by the American Petroleum Industry and Exxon, which of course did not advocate protecting polar bears from the effects of global warming. 

To read the full ABC News piece, click HERE. 

McCain's VP: Palin on the Environment

UPDATE: Gov. Palin made it clear in an interview with Newsmax magazine that she doesn't believe humans are the cause of global climate change. This is out of the mainstream of even the Republican party who includes global warming in their political platform. To read about Gov. Palin's view on global warming, click HERE.

John McCain is holding a rally today where he will announce Gov. Sarah Palin of Alaska as his running mate. Palin has not been in politics a very long time. She has served as Alaska's Governor for only two years and prior to that served as Mayor of a city with less than 10,000 residents. In spite of her lack of experience, she has made her positions known on a variety of environmental issues.

• Gov. Palin is pro-drilling. She supports expanded drilling in Alaska, including the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.
• Gov. Palin opposes listing polar bears as species threatened by the effects of global climate change.
• Gov. Palin serves as the Chair for the Interstate Oil and Gas Compact Commission, which works to promote the expansion of oil and gas usage.
  
• Gov. Palin leads the National Governors Association Natural Resources Committee which is partly responsible for pushing legislation that expands oil and gas drilling in states.
  
• Gov. Palin fought federal fishery plans to protect the stellar sea lion from over fishing by the large Alaskan fishing industry.
  

Obama's VP, Joe Biden, On the Environment

Last night Senator Joe Biden of Delaware was officially nominated to serve as Vice President to Barack Obama. Biden gave a great speech, preceded by a passionate introduction by his son, Beau Biden. Joe Biden is a well liked Senator known for his straight talk and foreign affairs experience. What do we know about his support for environmental issues?

• Biden has an 83% lifetime score from the League of Conservation Voters.
  
• Supports capping carbon emissions 80% below 1990 levels by 2050.
• Supports requiring 20% of America's energy coming from renewable energy sources.
  
• Supports a federal government vehicle fleet with fuel efficiency requirements of 40 miles per gallon.
  
• Supports using federal construction projects to spur investment in the green building industry.
• Supports research and investment into clean coal and carbon sequestration technologies for export to other nations. China builds a new coal power plant every week.
• Does not support lifting the ban on offshore oil drilling.
• Co-sponsored a Senate resolution calling on the U.S. to participate in U.N. climate negotiations.
  
• Co-sponsored the Boxer-Sanders Global Warming Pollution Reduction Act which establishes a cap-and-trade system for greenhouse-gas emissions.
  

To see Grist.org's full scorecard on Biden, click HERE

McCain Selling U.S. Treasures for Campaign Cash

For years, John McCain opposed additional domestic oil drilling. It is well documented (read HERE) that when he switched that position on June 16th, oil industry contributions to his campaign grew enormously. In May, McCain raised $208,000 from oil executives, in June he raised $1.1 million. Since that time he has continued to receive hefty contributions from anyone associated with the oil industry.

Its frustrating, to say the least, that McCain traded campaign contributions for America's environmental health. Apparently though, he isn't through.

One of the most protected pieces of American land is the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR). Millions of acres in Alaska are set aside from development and human encroachment so that we can study and conserve the natural environment there. Forty-five species of land and marine mammals inhabit the area, including species of whale and bear. Native tribes live in and rely on the refuge for survival and travel.

In 2005, John McCain voted to protect ANWR from oil drilling that would bring people, machines and settlements into this pristine area. In 2008, as a Presidential candidate, he is thinking of changing his mind.

The Weekly Standard's Steven F. Hayes wrote this week that McCain told him he is reconsidering his support for protecting ANWR from oil drilling. Apparently those big oil industry checks got McCain's mouth watering at the possibility of raising more money by opening up America's most precious preserve. He is also reacting to polling that suggests the public is willing to do anything to lower the price of gasoline.

I wonder how much the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge is worth to McCain. He once said drilling in ANWR is akin to drilling in the Grand Canyon. Its amazing how much can change when campaign money is involved.

Read Hayes' story from the Weekly Standard HERE.

McCain Fibs, Doesn't Support Wind Energy

Have you seen the John McCain campaign ad where he attacks Barack Obama for being a big celebrity? In the ad, McCain shows a beautiful picture of wind energy turbines turning in front of a clear blue sky. While this image is on your television, a narrator says, "Renewable energy to transform our economy, create jobs and energy independence, that's John McCain." Unfortunately, that isn't John McCain.

While John McCain has favored more tax cuts for the oil and gas industries, in addition to low interest loans and subsidies, he has opposed tax incentives for wind energy. His presidential platform on energy doesn't set aside additional funding for wind energy but only proposes to "rationalize" existing tax credits to provide incentives for it.

John McCain does set aside funding for non-renewable energy sources like nuclear and coal in his energy plan. He has designated $2 billion in annual funding for coal power plants and the construction of 45 additional nuclear plants by 2030.

A member of the wind energy industry, Frank Masiano, told Newsweek that he doesn't know what John McCain means when referring to "rationalizing the current patchwork of temporary tax credits" for wind energy development. Maisano said, "It means that they don't want to tell people what that means."

Many environmentalists are frustrated that John McCain has spent his presidential election touting offshore oil drilling, expanded coal energy and increased nuclear power plant construction all while being vague about his renewable energy plans.

Barack Obama, on the other hand, has been far more specific about how he would expand renewable energy. He sets clear guidelines for the amount of renewable energy America will be using by a specific date. He also allocates $150 billion over ten years for development of clean energy sources.

To read the McCain energy plan, click HERE. To read the Obama plan, click HERE. To read Newsweek's breakdown of McCain's misleading ad, click HERE.

Why Are Oil Company Profits So High?

ExxonMobile tried to quietly release their profits from the last quarter of 2008. This is probably because they made the biggest profit of any company in American history with $11.68 billion. Shell came in second with $11.56 billion. BP made $9.5 billion, Chevron made $5.98 billion and ConocoPhillips made $5.44 billion.

At a time when oil and gas prices are hitting record highs, many Americans see the record profits posted by oil companies and wonder whether they're being robbed. The reality is that the explanation of gas prices and oil profits are so confusing that economists and even Congress has struggled to understand it.

There is one aspect of oil company profits that is simple and something we should all be concerned about. For many decades, the federal government has given billions in tax credits and subsidies to the oil industry to help them in times of financial struggle. In addition, several tax loopholes exist that allow oil companies to reduce their taxable revenues while they fail to fulfill their responsibilities.

The idea behind all of these credits, subsidies and breaks was to reduce the financial risk involved in developing new oil wells and refineries. Unfortunately, the oil companies have not developed new domestic energy sources and have instead used their huge profits to buy back billions of dollars worth of their own stock to drive up its value (Read HERE). They are also using their profits to line the pockets of executives. In 2006, the retiring CEO of ExxonMobile, Lee Raymond, was granted a $400 million retirement package (Read HERE). In 2007, Exxon's sitting CEO, Rex Tillerson, made $29.3 million in salary, bonus and stock payouts (Read HERE).

Americans should be frustrated that while they are paying record prices at the pump and gas taxes, billions in federal tax money is being given away to oil companies making record profits. The tax money isn't being spent as it was intended and is instead helping to make rich executives even richer. Ideally, these tax credits, subsidies and breaks should be tied to some expectation that must be fulfilled. Look at it this way, could you claim the child tax credit if you didn't have any kids?

Currently, John McCain is offering even more tax breaks for oil companies (read HERE). It seems that somehow the oil industry has convinced McCain that they are the victims in the energy crisis. Barack Obama is suggesting a windfall profits tax that would tax the billions made by oil companies and return that money to consumers in the form of a $1,000 rebate (read HERE).

Video: Obama on McCain's Tire-Gauge Joke

A week ago, Barack Obama made a comment about ways we can all improve the fuel efficiency of our cars. One of his suggestions was filling our cars' tires to capacity. I have suggested this on the blog in the past and I have read several automotive websites that make the same suggestion. Everyone is looking to save a few bucks on gas and be greener in the process, right?

Apparently John McCain thought this suggestion was very funny and saw it as a political opportunity, so his campaign began creating tire gauges with "Obama Energy Plan" written on them that they hand out (read about them HERE).

A joke is a joke, but shouldn't we all really be doing things like this to reduce our collective demand for foreign oil?

UPDATE: Apparently McCain was embarrassed by the response to his silly mockery of Obama's suggestion by other GOP leaders because he is slowly changing his tune...

“Obama said a couple of days ago says we all should inflate our tires. I don’t disagree with that. The American Automobile Association strongly recommends it,” McCain said.

Like McCain, Obama Flips on Drilling

On June 16th of this year, John McCain made a speech where he outlined a whole new energy strategy that included a complete reversal from his previous stance on offshore oil drilling. For over a decade, McCain had opposed offshore oil drilling, but new polls showing a vast majority of American supporting increased domestic drilling changed his mind.

After making his energy shift, McCain began attacking Barack Obama for not supporting a similar policy. Several negative political advertisements by McCain questioned whether Obama was ready to lead because he didn't support offshore oil drilling. Obama's view was that drilling for oil would take 10 years and that America needed to transition away from oil now so in 10 years we'd rely on renewable sources of energy to power our lives. However, the negative ads took their toll on Obama's poll numbers, so he made a slight shift in the same direction as McCain.

The first change in Obama's energy stance is his request for the release of 70 million barrels of oil from America's Strategic Petroleum Reserve. Releasing light crude from the Reserve has lowered gas prices within two weeks in the past. Obama has said he would accept drilling for oil off the U.S. coast only if it is part of a larger compromise that included increased funding for alternative energy sources and a windfall profits tax on oil companies that would be used to help individual taxpayers.

In addition to releasing oil from the Reserve and supporting domestic oil drilling, Obama is also pledging support for expansion of hybrid vehicle manufacturing. His goal is to put 1 million plug-in hybrids on the road by 2015. Plug-in hybrids get up to 150 miles per gallon. Consumers who buy these hybrids will qualify for a $7,000 tax credit. Automakers could receive $4 billion in loans and tax credits to help them retool their factories to build fuel efficient vehicles. Obama has also proposed conservation efforts that would decrease U.S. electricity demand by 15% and new energy development that would replace 10% of our energy sources with renewables.

Tim Kaine: Obama's Potential VP on the Environment

Its been widely reported over the past day that Barack Obama has placed Virginia governor Tim Kaine at the top of his short list of possible running mates. Usually this means that the Presidential candidate is trying to gauge the possible public reaction before making a final decision. That means its important to learn a lot about Kaine now and express support or opposition to his nomination before its too late.

I scanned Kaine's biography and found that he and Obama have a lot in common. Both of them have 1) worked to improve housing opportunities for low-income families, 2) have a mother from El Dorado, Kansas, 3) graduated from Harvard Law and 4) appeal to both Republicans and Democrats.

Unfortunately, both Kaine and Obama also share a belief that coal is still a viable source of energy. Obama had made several comments in the past about the benefits of "clean coal" and had even advertised his support for coal during the West Virginia primaries. Kaine has approved a coal power plant in Virginia as Governor. While other states like Florida and Kansas have completely blocked construction of any new coal power plants, Kaine approved the new Virginia plant relatively quickly. Some suspect his support for the plant was due to the hundreds of thousands in campaign contributions he received from Dominion Energy during his run for Governor.

There are many reasons why coal should be an energy source of last resort. Obtaining coal requires explosively removing the tops of mountains to expose the coal inside. The result is permanently destroyed habitat and dangerous materials dropping into the water and land of surrounding communities. Coal contributes greatly to global warming and releases toxic chemicals like mercury into the air. Fortunately, the agency responsible for approving the new coal plant in Virginia required a 75% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions before the permit was issued. This will help alleviate some of the consequences of the plant, but does not solve the other problems.

Tim Kaine redeems himself slightly on environmental issues through his support for expanded land protection in Virginia. In 2006, Kaine rolled out a plan to conserve 400,000 acres of land. This is significant because compared to other states, Virginia's per capita expenditures on land conservation are very low. The overall proportion of total land under protection is, however, relatively high.

Kaine has also been active in protecting Virginia's water ways. In 2006, Kaine stepped-in to block proposed offshore drilling. Unfortunately, he now supports oil exploration off the coast but will not endorse drilling until the results of the exploration are released. He has supported the funding of the Chesapeake Bay recovery. Kaine worked with the Virginia legislature to secure $250 million in bonds for the Bay's clean-up. He has urged water conservation and is looking for ways to increase knowledge of Virginia's oceans and the Chesapeake Bay through eco-tourism outreach.

Tim Kaine has had a rocky relationship with environmentalists since he approved the new Dominion Energy coal power plant. He has tried to repair that relationship since by supporting progressive conservation measures like energy efficient building standards for state buildings and expanded alternative energy usage.

You can read some of Tim Kaine's remarks from an environmental symposium back in 2006 by clicking HERE. Unfortunately there is not a section of the Governor's website that directly addresses environmental issues.

After McCain Flip-Flop, Oil Money Floods Campaign

I recently received a comment on my "Obama vs. McCain on the Environment" post that corrected one of my facts. In the post, dated February 13th, I said that John McCain did not support further drilling for oil in the United States, specifically in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. Of course since that time, McCain has flipped on the issue of domestic oil drilling, even in ANWR.

As I thought about correcting my old post, I wondered what McCain had to gain in completely changing his mind on such a controversial issue. Apparently, he had lots of campaign contributions to gain.

The Washington Post is reporting today that during the last half of June, campaign contributions to McCain from oil executives rose from $208,000 in May to $1.1 million in June. The majority of that money rolled in when McCain began supporting additional domestic oil production on June 16.

Immediately after giving his speech on the 16th supporting additional oil production, McCain met with oil company executives and attended a fund raiser at the San Antonio Country Club. That event yielded $1.3 million in campaign contributions to McCain.

The Washington Post interviewed David Donnelly, the national campaign director of the Public Campaign Action Fund, a nonpartisan campaign finance reform group that conducted an analysis of McCain's oil industry contributions. In his interview, Donnelly said, "This is a case study of how a candidate can change a policy position in the interest of raising money."

To read the full Post article, go HERE.

Obama Attacks McCain on Energy

Barack Obama is increasing his criticism of John McCain's energy accomplishments, or lack thereof. In a speech Obama is scheduled to give today, he specifically undermines McCain's claim of being a "maverick" on issues like the environment and energy. He also highlights the political nature of McCain's plans. Below are a couple highlights I picked out from the speech...

• For decades, John McCain has been a part of this failure in Washington. Yes, he has gone further than some in his party in speaking out on climate change. And that is commendable. But time and time again, he has opposed investing in the alternative sources of energy that have helped fuel some of the very same projects and businesses he's highlighting in this campaign.

• After all those years in Washington, John McCain still doesn't get it. I commend him for his desire to accelerate the search for a battery that can power the cars of the future. I've been talking about this myself for the last few years. But I don't think a $300 million prize is enough. When John F. Kennedy decided that we were going to put a man on the moon, he didn't put a bounty out for some rocket scientist to win - he put the full resources of the United States government behind the project and called on the ingenuity and innovation of the American people.

• He wants to open our coastlines to drilling - a proposal that his own top economic adviser admitted won't provide any short-term relief at the pump. It's a proposal that George Bush's Administration says will not provide a drop of oil - not a single drop - for at least ten years. And by the time the drilling is fully underway in twenty years, our own Department of Energy says that the effect on gas prices will be "insignificant." Insignificant.

• Just yesterday, Senator McCain actually admitted this. In a town hall he said, and I quote, "I don't see an immediate relief" but "the fact that we are exploiting those reserves would have psychological impact that I think is beneficial." Psychological impact. In case you were wondering, that's Washington-speak for, "It polls well."

• I will invest $150 billion over the next ten years in alternative sources of energy like wind power, and solar power, and advanced biofuels - investments that will create up to five million new jobs that pay well and can't be outsourced; that will create billions of dollars in new business like you're already doing here in Nevada.

• My entire energy plan will produce three times the oil savings that John McCain's ever could - and what's more, it will actually decrease our dependence on oil while his will only grow our addiction further.

One item I found strange in Obama's speech was his attack on McCain for NOT voting for the 2005 Energy Bill. Anyone paying attention to energy policy in America over the last five years knows that the 2005 Energy Bill was one of the worse ever written. It was drafted by the oil, gas and coal industries, behind closed doors and with almost no input from environmentalists, scientists or economists. Obama voted for the very bad bill and McCain didn't Apparently Obama is trying to turn this liability into an asset. Obama does admit that the bill wasn't perfect and that as President he would have vetoed it and asked for better legislation. But he points out that the alternative energy tax credit in the bill contributed to a 45% increase in wind electricity generation.

To read the full text of the speech go HERE

Oil's Big Year

This has been an exciting year already. Exciting for some good reasons and exciting for some bad reasons. From presidential primaries to earthquakes, and everything in between, its difficult to imagine many years that have started off with so much excitement. Of course, nobody has had as exciting a year as the oil industry. By far, the first six months of 2008 have proven to be the most promising for "Big Oil" in a long time. 

Take, for instance, the ballooning price of oil. In January of this year, oil finally surpassed the dreaded $100/barrel mark. Since then, the price has peaked at $133/barrel with per-gallon prices reaching $4.08 nationally. The last time gas prices surged this way, after Hurricane Katrina, the oil companies experienced world record breaking profits. 

More great news for the oil industry this year has come from the United States Congress. The Democrats in Congress have submitted multiple pieces of legislation that would have sacrificed some of those record-breaking profits in favor of investment in renewable sources of energy, but all of them failed.