(Source: BarackObama.com)
In 2000, countries like Germany made a major commitment to increase the use of renewable energy and begin to get off oil. We elected George Bush and Dick Cheney -- who gave us a secret energy task force, a war in Iraq and the same old energy policies.
Eight years later, gas prices are soaring above $4 a gallon and the nation stands at a crossroads.
We can either “go big” and follow Barack Obama’s 2007 blueprint to create a new energy economy -- or we can rely on John McCain’s sudden 2008 urge to drill for offshore oil -- a distracting idea which won’t reduce gas prices but will boost oil company profits.
The facts are clear. Only one candidate has a detailed plan that is at Apollo moon-mission scale, using technologies that work right now -- Barack Obama. Clean energy isn’t pie in the sky -- the Germans created 250,000 jobs in less time than it will take for John McCain and Big Oil to drill for oil offshore -- and bring it to market. Failing to invest in new energy means we will continue to fall behind in the competitive race for new jobs and manufacturing. That’s not the road to smart energy independence; it’s a backwards formula for more Exxon dependence.
The Choice Is Clear
CHALLENGE Obama McCAIN
Immediate Financial Relief for Families This Summer
$300 per family in rebate checks from a second round of stimulus to help families offset the cost of $4.00 gas this summer.
(Obama Second Stimulus Plan)
No credible plan for immediate financial relief.
Proposed a gas tax gimmick that would provide at most 30 cents a day for the typical workers while increasing oil company profits and depriving our under-funded national highway trust fund of $10 billion.
(Tax Policy Center)
Making America’s Economy Vibrant and Competitive in the Long Haul Apollo-scale investment of $150 billion investment over 10 years to jumpstart renewable energy technology development and deployment.
No comprehensive plan for clean energy investments. Has repeatedly opposed any new investments and incentives in for renewable energy.
He rejects 99.8% of the Obama ideas for investing in our energy future – the advanced battery prize represents 0.2% of the overall investment in the Obama plan.
The Next 10 Years of Oil
3 million barrels of oil savings.
Plan will reduce U.S. oil consumption by about 3 million barrels of oil per day by 2018.
Supports new development on existing leases, which could nearly double total U.S. oil production, and increase natural gas production by 75 percent.
((PDF)Obama Energy Plan)
Not a drop more.
McCain plan to open up our coastlines to drilling would not bring meaningful new production on-line for ten years.
(U.S. Dept. of Energy)
Reducing Dependence on Foreign Oil
Plan to reduce oil consumption by 10 million barrels, or at least 35%, by 2030. That is enough to totally offset our imports from OPEC countries.
Says No to this goal, and has no plan to reduce our long-term dependence on oil.
Green Collar Jobs
Plan for renewables, fuel economy and energy efficiency will help create 5 million new green collar jobs.
No green jobs plan.
Ending Excessive Speculation in Oil Markets
Supports fully closing the Enron Loophole and eliminating offshore loopholes that encourage excessive speculation. Plan will ease the impact of rising prices.
No plan.
Sen. Phil Gramm – one of Senator McCain’s chief economic advisors – was responsible for sneaking the Enron Loophole into law.
Fuel Economy v Offshore Drilling
Supports doubling the fuel efficiency of autos within 18 years, saving American consumers from purchasing a half trillion gallons of gas.
Taking this one step will achieve more than three times the oil savings than could be produced under even the most optimist scenarios of drilling in the Outer Continental Shelf and Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.
(Obama Energy Plan; Department of Energy)
No plan to increase fuel efficiency standards.
Repeatedly opposed legislative efforts to increase CAFE standards. Now supports simply enforcing existing standards.
Energy Efficiency
Plan will reduce the energy intensity of our economy 50% by 2030, through improvements in building efficiency, smart grid, and giving utilities an incentive to invest in efficiency rather than new production.
No energy efficiency plan.
Windfall Profits Tax
Supports implementing a well-designed windfall profits tax on profits made over $80 per barrel to help families pay energy bills.
No windfall profits tax plan.
Supports $4 billion per year in new tax breaks for major U.S. oil companies, including $1.2 billion per year for Exxon-Mobil – the most profitable company in the history of the world.
((PDF)Center for American Progress)
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