Diatribune

Crossposted at Dkos

Ok, like I did with Kucinich earlier I am going to lay out all the candidates plans via there website information and or speeches pertaining to such

I will admit I like Edwards but I am going to keep my commentary to a minimum. I think people need to see who says what they will do in black and white with a direct comparison. There are many similarites such as they all want to raise MPG to 40 within a decade and lower oil use 7-8 million barrels by 2025. There are a lot of differences as well.So here we go:

First Hillary: from her website

No issues page is listed. She has links to videos or her speaking about various things and how to raise money for her.

"Apollo like effort to make clean energy.." No details.
Create strategic energy fund but no new taxes on Americans but on energy companies. Pay or play..force energy companies to pay for investment in renewable energy. Provide $3.5 billion for ethanol and hybrids. $9 billion in new energy initiatives. The rest of the energy video was feel good speak on how America is great and can solve the problem

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From Wash Post

Clinton said she plans to introduce legislation to create a strategic energy fund, largely paid for by an excess profits tax on big oil companies, who she noted earned a combined $113 billion in profits last year.

She estimated that the profits tax and a repeal of other tax breaks for the oil industry could pump $50 billion into the energy fund over two years and pay for an array of tax incentives and for $9 billion in new research initiatives for wind, solar and other alternative energy resources. Oil companies could escape the tax if they reinvested profits into similar programs.

To speed the shift from foreign oil, Clinton proposed incentives for hybrid cars, improving household energy efficiency, accelerating development of ethanol made from plant wastes and installing ethanol pumps at gas stations.

Clinton joked that her 40-minute speech, which included references to "geologic sequestration" and "cellulosic ethanol," was "probably a lot more wonkish" than many in the audience had come to hear. She offered energy conservation tips from installing fluorescent lighting to keeping automobile tires fully inflated.

Her goal, she said, is to reduce the use of foreign oil by about 8 million barrels a day by 2025, but she set a series of interim targets as well, among them requiring that 20 percent of electricity be produced by renewable energy sources by the year 2020.

Clinton was notably cool to increased use of nuclear power, citing problems of cost, safety, proliferation and waste. She said she supports higher fuel efficiency standards for automobiles but warned against steps that would force U.S. automakers to move production to other countries

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Obama on Energy/environment

From his website:

Senator Obama led a bipartisan effort to raise CAFE fuel economy standards, which have remained frozen for 20 years because of congressional gridlock. He developed an innovative approach to gradually increase CAFE standards while protecting the financial future of American automaker

Senator Obama introduced legislation encouraging automakers to make fuel-efficient hybrid vehicles by helping the companies shoulder the health care costs of their retirees. Domestic automakers would get health care assistance in exchange for their investing 50 percent of the savings into technology to produce more fuel-efficient vehicles

Somehow I really doubt the automotive industry would try that hard so someone else would pay healthcare

and he authored a bill to give "The tax credit covers 30 percent of the costs of switching one or more traditional petroleum pumps to E85. Obama's legislation will help create the infrastructure to support more flexible-fuel vehicles (cars that run on both E85 and regular gasoline). Senator Obama also sponsored an amendment that became law providing $40 million for commercialization of a combined flexible fuel vehicle/hybrid car within five years"

In a speech I read he basically stated the following which makes me wonder why with the DOD's amazing track record of bad accounting we would want to do this.

By developing an Energy Technology Program at the Defense Department, we can provide loan guarantees and venture capital to those with the best plans to develop and sell biofuels on a commercial market. The Defense Department will also hold a competition where private corporations get funding to see who can build the best new alternative-fuel plant. The Department can then use these new technologies to improve the energy security of our own military.

Yes, have the DOD contract with private companies. That works so well.

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Edwards on energy:

The highlights because it is very detailed:

Cap and Reduce Global Warming Pollution: Edwards will set an economy-wide limit on the emission of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases. He will build on the precedent of the Clean Air Act of 1990 -- which limited pollution causing acid rain through a sulfur dioxide cap-and-trade system -- to reduce pollution in a cost-effective and flexible manner.
Use Science to Set the Caps: Edwards will cap greenhouse gases at levels that the latest climate science has determined to be necessary to avoid the worst impacts of global warming. He will cap greenhouse pollution starting in 2010, reduce it by 15 percent by 2020, and reduce it by 80 percent by 2050, consistent with the most aggressive plans under consideration in Washington.
Make Polluters Pay: Edwards will auction off a portion of the pollution permits to raise $10 billion a year for a New Energy Economy Fund to jumpstart clean, renewable, and efficient energy technologies and create 1 million jobs.

Create the New Energy Economy Fund: To jumpstart our investment in the future, Edwards will create the $13 billion-a-year New Energy Economy Fund. The fund will be financed by greenhouse gas polluters through the sale of emission permits and by ending taxpayer giveaways for big oil companies, including special tax subsidies and sweetheart terms in offshore drilling leases. The resources will double the Department of Energy's budget for efficiency and renewable energy, accelerate new energy technologies to market and help new businesses get started, encourage consumers to buy efficient products, and provide transition assistance to workers in carbon-intensive industries.

Make 25 Percent of Our Energy Renewable: Edwards will require power companies to generate 25 percent of their energy from renewable sources by 2025. A large expansion of renewable energy can reduce costs under current trends, according to a 2006 RAND study. In Texas, a similar requirement achieved its goals quickly with negligible costs through the accelerated development of wind power. [RAND, 2006]
Dedicate Resources to Renewable Energy: Edwards will double the Department of Energy research budget, allowing it to reduce the cost and accelerate the marketability of current technologies to put clean solar, wind, and biomass into more communities. He will also encourage private investment by making permanent tax credits for the production of renewable energy; they currently expire at the end of 2008.

Reduce Oil Imports by 7.5 Million Barrels a Day by 2025: America's need for imported oil forces it to rely on unstable and even hostile countries. Edwards called for a national goal to reduce oil imports by 7.5 million barrels a day by 2025 – nearly a third of the oil projected to be used in 2025 -- and get us on the path toward energy independence. [DOE, 2007]
Help U.S. Automakers Modernize: Edwards will provide $1 billion a year to help U.S. automakers advance and apply the latest technology, including biofuels, hybrid and electric cars, hydrogen fuel cells, ultra-light materials, and drive train improvements. These resources will be financed from the New Energy Economy Fund and also help manufacturers meet higher fuel economy requirements. With a strong ethanol industry that includes cellulosic ethanol and hybrid and electric technology, American cars and trucks can be virtually petroleum-free within a generation.

Raise Fuel Economy Standards: American cars and trucks are less efficient than they were two decades ago, despite the corporate average fuel economy (CAFE) standards. Standards in China, Japan, and the European Union are between 40 and 100 percent higher. Edwards will raise standards to 40 miles per gallon by 2016, a step that could single-handedly reduce oil demand by 4 million barrels per day. [Pew Center on Global Climate Change, 2004; Reicher, 2007]

Create Millions of Local Sources of Renewable Energy: Edwards will provide up to a $5,000 tax credit for homes and small businesses that invest in onsite generation of renewable energy like solar, wind, and geothermal power. He will also encourage local generation of renewable energy through "net metering," which allows families to sell extra power back to utilities for credits against their electricity bills.
Encourage Distributed Generation: Edwards will cut the red tape that hinders new energy producers from selling their power to the grid. He will require utilities to consider distributed generation as a means of lowering costs compared to new investments in centralized production and transmission

Invest in Weatherized Homes and More Efficient Buildings and Appliances: Upgrading home furnaces, ducts, windows, and insulation can cut energy bills by 20 to 40 percent, year after year. However, the existing Department of Energy weatherization program reaches only 100,000 homes a year while more than 28 million remain eligible. Similarly, appliance efficiency standards have greatly reduced the energy use of refrigerators and air conditioners, but better use of the Energy Star program could save even more. Edwards will reverse the Bush budget cuts to the weatherization program and instead expand it to $500 million a year. He will call on states to create updated energy building codes. Finally, he will raise federal efficiency standards for appliances and maximize the potential of the Energy Star program by working to get more efficient appliances in stores and educating buyers and builders. [Reicher, 2007; ACEEE 2005]

Reduce the U.S. Government's Energy Use by 20 Percent and Make the White House Carbon Neutral. The U.S. government is the nation's single largest energy consumer, with a $15 billion energy bill in 2005. However, its investments in energy efficiency have been cut in half since 2001. Edwards will overhaul federal buildings and vehicles to emphasize efficiency, reducing the use of energy by 20 percent, and expand the government's use of renewable sources. After taking energy efficiency steps at the White House, he will purchase carbon offsets to make it carbon-neutral. [DOE, 2006; Alliance to Save Energy, 2007]

Hmm, make the government more energy efficient along with the rest of us!! Accountable even for their share of pollution? What a concept!!!

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Richardson:

His website had no details other than the following paragraph

Our next President must be able to start reversing Global Warming and making real progress on energy independence and that means making a real commitment to renewable sources of energy. That's what I've done in New Mexico where we're requiring that 10 percent of all energy come from renewable sources and we're moving toward 20 percent, we've provided incentives for solar, wind, biofuels and other renewables, and again that's what I'll do as President. As Energy Secretary I implemented tough efficiency standards that have saved consumers billions in energy costs. Everybody talks the talk on these issues -- I've done it.

so a-googling I went.

In prepared remarks, Richardson set a goal of reducing oil imports by 40 percent and replacing liquid fuels with biofuels by 2025, and called for a 75 percent reduction in greenhouse gases by 2050.
Richardson, who served as energy secretary under President Bill Clinton, warned that U.S. foreign policy was too dependent on maintaining access to oil resources.
He also said oil consumption was hastening the effects of global warming.
''Our ability to drain the swamps of terrorism depends in part on our political will to change how we produce, distribute and consume energy,'' Richardson said. ''In the West, it's not just liberal college kids who ask what we are doing about global warming — it's the conservative farmers and ranchers whose way of living is at risk.''
Richardson, who trails front-runners Hillary Rodham Clinton and Barack Obama in the Democratic presidential field, said he would promote tax breaks for energy-efficient buildings, offer tax credits for hybrid cars and public transportation, and create a system of tradable energy credits to encourage private investment in alternative energy technologies.

According to his Governnor website he signed several Clean Energy bills:

The Transmission Authority and the Renewable Portfolio Standard work in combination to dramatically position New Mexico to develop our vast renewable energy resources," said Joanna Prukop Cabinet Secretary for Energy, Minerals, and Natural Resources. "We've just positioned our state to become extremely competitive in all aspects of clean energy development and the benefits that come with it."

Under Governor Richardson’s leadership, New Mexico has become the nation’s the Clean Energy State. In the past few weeks alone Governor Richardson has signed a major, five state climate change agreement, announced a new Tesla electric car plant for Albuquerque and a biodiesel plant in Clovis, NM.

The bills were authored by Michael Sanchez in the NM Senate and Jose Campos in the House. He does seem very committed to the Envrionment and Energy though so that is good!

I am curious about the lack of info on his website since his state is very Renewable friendly and he was the Energy Sec under Clinton.

This does impress me though

Governor Richardson promised when he ran for office to work tirelessly on behalf of all New Mexicans. During the Governor's first two legislative sessions, 78 out of 95 proposals outlined during his State of the State addresses have become reality - for an 82% success rate.

Overall, more than 90% of the initiatives that Governor Richardson promised during the 2002 campaign have become reality - everything from cutting income taxes and eliminating the tax on food to paying teachers better and increasing penalties for drunken drivers.

As a result, New Mexico is a state that is on the move. New Mexico is no longer at the bottom of all the state-by-state comparison lists. Under Governor Richardson's leadership, 27,400 jobs have been created since he took office in January 2003. That's more than double the 12,300 jobs that were created during the 16 previous months.

Nice to see he accomplishes what he sets out to do. New Mexico is a blue state so looks like they are staying true to that color

Input anyone?

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