Barack Obama

John McCain

 “I will create the jobs of the future by transforming our energy economy. We'll tap our natural gas reserves, invest in clean coal technology, and find ways to safely harness nuclear power.”

Source: Obama, Barack. “Remarks of Senator Barack Obama”, Reno, Nev., Sept. 30, 2008.

“We'll invest in the technology that will allow us to use more coal, America's most abundant energy source, with the goal of creating five 'first-of-a-kind' coal-fired demonstration plants with carbon capture and sequestration….”

“Too often, the problem is that all of this new energy technology never makes it out of the lab and onto the market because there's too much risk and too much cost involved in starting commercial-scale clean energy businesses. So we will remove some of this cost and this risk by directing billions in loans and capital to entrepreneurs who are willing to create clean energy businesses and clean energy jobs right here in America.”

Source: Obama, Barack, “Remarks of Senator Barack Obama: New Energy for America.” Lansing, Mich., Aug., 4, 2008.

“The development of clean coal technology will create jobs in some of America's most economically disadvantaged areas. Clean coal demonstration projects alone will employ over 30,000 Americans.”

Source: McCain, John, “Remarks by John McCain at his Ohio Town Hall  Meeting' Portsmouth, Ohio, July 9,2008.

“Perhaps no achievement would do more to secure our energy future than the mastery of clean-coal technology… Burning coal cleanly is a challenge of practical problem-solving and human ingenuity… So, as president, I will commit two billion dollars each year, until 2024, to clean-coal research, development, and deployment. We will build the demonstration plants. We will refine the techniques and equipment. We will deliver not only electricity but jobs to some of the areas hardest hit by our economic troubles. And in the end, we will make clean coal a reality.”

Source: McCain, John, “Remarks by John McCain on his Comprehensive Plan for Energy Security' Las Vegas, Nev, June 25, 2008.

• Develop clean coal technology, retrofit existing coal-fueled power plants with carbon capture and sequestration technology as soon as commercially available. Ban any more new conventional coal facilities from being built without clean-coal technology to meet new carbon caps.
• Deploy five coal-fueled plants to demonstrate carbon capture technology.

Source: “Presidential Candidates Positions on Energy Policy”, Bureau of National Affairs, Sept. 10, 2008. 
               
On Tuesday, Sept. 23, 2008, the Obama-Biden campaign announced a Clean Coal Jobs Task Force, aimed at furthering Senator Obama and Senator Biden's commitment to creating jobs and energy independence through clean coal. It’s mission: “Work to promote the Obama-Biden agenda to invest in advanced coal-based technologies, create more jobs in the coal sector and enhance mine safety.”

Source: Obama-Biden Presidential Campaign News Release, Sept. 23, 2008.

• Commit $2 billion per year through 2024 ($36 billion) on clean coal research and development and demonstration plants to accelerate deployment of clean coal technologies within the decade, revitalize coal mining, and create jobs.
• Continue coal-fueled generation while developing new technologies.

Source: “Presidential Candidates Positions on Energy Policy”, Bureau of National Affairs.  Sept. 10, 2008.

“John McCain's presidential campaign recently launched the Coalition to Protect Coal Jobs. The coalition, a nationwide group including members of Congress, state government and other influential leaders, will spread the message about the importance of clean coal technology and the advantages of tapping the country's vast coal reserves.”

Source: McCain-Palin Presidential Campaign Website, “McCain-Palin Campaign Announces Coalition to Protect Coal Jobs”, Sept. 23, 2008.

“As President, I will set a hard cap on all carbon emissions at a level that scientists say is necessary to curb global warming - an 80% reduction by 2050. To ensure this isn't just talk, I will also commit to interim targets toward this goal in 2020, 2030, and 2040. These reductions will start immediately, and we'll continue to follow the recommendations of top scientists to ensure that our targets are strong enough to meet the challenge we face.”

“The market will set the price, but unlike the other cap-and-trade proposals that have been offered in this race, no business will be allowed to emit any greenhouses gases for free. Businesses don't own the sky, the public does, and if we want them to stop polluting it, we have to put a price on all pollution.”

Obama, Barack “Remarks of Senator Barack Obama: Real Leadership for a clean Energy Future.” Portsmouth, N.H., Oct. 8, 2008.

“We must find a way to stop coal from polluting our atmosphere without pretending that our nation's most abundant energy source will just go away. It won't. It will also require taking steps to ensure that China's coal emissions are curbed as well… Until those technologies are available, I will rely on the carbon cap and whatever tools are necessary to stop new dirty coal plants from being built in America - including a ban on new traditional coal facilities.”

Source: Obama, Barack, “Remarks of Senator Barack Obama: Real Leadership for a Clean Energy Future.” Portsmouth, N.H., October 8, 2007.

“I support a market-based cap-and-trade system aimed at reducing carbon emissions.”

Source: John McCain. “Alliance into the 21st Century.” The Australian, Sept. 23, 2008.

“To dramatically reduce carbon emissions, I have proposed a new system of cap-and-trade that over time will change the dynamic of our energy economy… By the year 2012, we will seek a return to 2005 levels of emission, by 2020, a return to 1990 levels, and so on until we have achieved at least a reduction of sixty percent below 1990 levels by the year 2050. In this way, we will transition into a low carbon energy future while staying on a course of economic growth… My strategy gives people time to adapt, instead of causing a jolt to your electricity bill and widespread shutdowns of tradition coal-fired plants.”

Source: McCain, John, “Remarks by John McCain on Energy Security and Safeguarding Our Environment.' Santa Barbara, Calif., June 24, 2008

“As a program under the Clean Air Act, the cap-and-trade system achieved enormous success in ridding the air of acid rain. And the same approach that brought a decline in sulfur dioxide emissions can have an equally dramatic and permanent effect on carbon emissions. Instantly, automakers, coal companies, power plants, and every other enterprise in America would have an incentive to reduce carbon emissions, because when they go under those limits they can sell the balance of permitted emissions for cash.”

Source: McCain, John, “Remarks By John McCain on Climate Change Policy.” Portlnad Ore., May 12, 2008.

•  Reduce greenhouse gas emissions to 1990 levels by 2020 and 80 percent below 1990 levels by 2050.
• Implement an economy-wide, cap-and-trade program requiring all pollution credits to be auctioned, rather than allocating, or giving, emissions rights to polluting companies.
• Redirect revenue from auctioning allowances to support clean energy, energy efficiency, job transition and energy bill assistance for low-income families.
• Create new “global energy forum” of G-8 members plus five (Brazil, China, India, Mexico, and South Africa), representing largest greenhouse gas emitters, to lay foundation for post-Kyoto climate change protocols.
• Provide offsets under international carbon caps for developing countries that adopt low-carbon technologies.

Source: “Presidential Candidates Positions on Energy Policy”, Breau of National Affairs, Sept 10, 2008.

• Create an economy wide cap-and-trade system setting a limit on greenhouse gas emissions and allow companies to buy and sell rights to emit.
•  Timetable includes returning emissions to 2005 level by 2012; 1990 level by 2020; 22 percent below 1990 level by 2030; and 60 percent below 1990 level by 2050.
• Small business would be exempted from emission targets. In the initial phase, industry could make emission reductions or purchase financial “offsets” from those outside the scope of the trading system, such as the agricultural sector, that practice sequestration.
• A “fraction” of emissions permits would be supplied initially by auction but most would be by allocation.

Source: “Presidential Candidates Positions on Energy Policy”, Bureau of National Affairs, Sept 10, 2008.

• Will establish a federal renewable portfolio standard requiring 25 percent of electricity consumption to come from renewable energy sources like solar, wind, and geothermal by 2025. Increase to 10 percent by end of the first term, compared with today's 2 percent.

Source: “Presidential Candidates Positions on Energy Policy”, Breau of National Affairs, Sept 10, 2008.

• Voted “Yea” on S.AMDT 791 to HR.6: To establish a renewable portfolio sandard

• Opposes a federal renewable portfolio standard; will leave RPS targets for electric generation to individual states based on their own renewable resource capabilities.

Source: “Presidential Candidates Positions on Energy Policy”, Bureau of National Affairs, Sept 10, 2008.

• Voted “Nay” on S AMDT 791 to Hr.6: To Establish a renewable portfolio sandard
  

• Extend renewable energy production tax credit, which expires at the end of 2008, for five years.
• Require 30 percent of federal government's electricity to come from renewable sources by 2020.
• Establish a national low-carbon fuel standard to speed development of nonpetroleum fuels by requiring fuel suppliers to reduce carbon emissions 10 percent by 2010.
•  Invest $10 billion annually for five years in a “clean technologies” venture capital fund partnering with industry to move clean energy technologies, such as cellulosic ethanol, carbon capture and storage, and other technologies like bio-based plastics, beyond the lab and into the marketplace.

Source: “Presidential Candidates Positions on Energy Policy”, Bureau of National Affairs, Sept. 10, 2008.

• Consolidate, current patchwork of temporary renewable energy tax credits until solar and wind are competitive with conventional fuels and “no longer merits the taxpayers dollars.”

Source: “Presidential Candidates Positions on Energy Policy”, Bureau of National Affairs, Sept. 10, 2008.

• Opposes the “Hardrock Mining and Reclamation Act of 2007” on the grounds that it places a significant burden on the mining industry and could have an adverse impact on jobs.
• Specifically opposes parts of the House-passed bill that would impose royalties of 4% of gross revenue on existing hard-rock mining operations, and royalties of 8 percent of gross revenue on new mining operations.

Source: Associated Press, Nov. 6, 2007.

[On Royalty Fees] ‘‘I’m not saying I would automatically have them [Mining Companies] pay more, but certainly it’s an antiquated law. Any law that was passed in 1872 is going to have to be updated. Hello, times have changed, duh.'

Source: McCain, John.”Remarks at Town Hall Meeting”, Sparks, Nev. July 29, 2008.

'Senator Obama comes from a coal state and understands its importance to our economy…While he has serious concerns about mountaintop removal mining, he has proposed a major federal investment in clean coal technologies as part of his plan to build a new economy.”

Source: Dan Leistikow, campaign spokesman, Barack Obama for President Campaign, Sept. 16, 2008.

'We're tearing up the Appalachian Mountains because of our dependence on fossil fuel…'

Source: Obama, Barack, Remarks at Campaign Rally, Lexington, KY., August 26, 2007.

'We have to find more environmentally sound ways of mining coal, than simply blowing the tops off mountains.'

Source: Obama, Barack. Interview with Appalachian Voices, Jan. 12, 2007.

[When asked if he supports eliminating Mountain-top removal mining] “I do…and I’m happy to tell you I’ve seen a dramatic improvement in the behavior of the coal companies. They are doing a much better job. Now it’s not perfect, but it certainly is dramatically improved from what it was some years ago. As you also know there’s a payment that the coal companies make for every ton of coal they take out and that money is given back to the community. That’s an important area of economic development in some of the lowest income parts of America.”

Source: McCain, John. Remarks at Campaign Rally, Orlando, Fla. September 15, 2008.

“If someone wants to join a union in my state, they're free to do so, but they are not compelled to do so. I think the key to unions is that any American has the right and privilege to join a union but should never be forced to do so.  And this latest ploy of the Democrats of signing people up in the most willy-nilly fashion is something that needs to be rejected, because it [Employee Free Choice Act] will not protect the rights of workers who do not wish to join a union.” 

Source: McCain, “John, 2007 Republican Debate” Dearborn, Mich., Oct. 9, 2007.

• Will aim to  strengthen the ability of workers to organize unions
• Believes workers should have the freedom to choose whether to join a union without harassment or intimidation from their employers. Obama co-sponsored and is strong advocate for the Employee Free Choice Act, a bipartisan effort to assure that workers can exercise their right to organize.

Source: Barack Obama for President Campaign Website, Sept. 10, 2008.

•  Opposes the Employee Free Choice Act

 Source: 2008 Republican Platform,  Sept. 1, 2008.

“The way in which we can stop the greenhouse gases from emitting. We believe -- Barack Obama believes by investing in clean coal and safe nuclear, we can not only create jobs in wind and solar here in the United States, we can export it.”

“China is building one to three new coal-fired plants burning dirty coal per week. It's polluting not only the atmosphere but the West Coast of the United States. We should export the technology by investing in clean coal technology.”

“My record for 25 years has supported clean coal technology. A comment made in a rope line was taken out of context. I was talking about exporting that technology to China so when they burn their dirty coal, it won't be as dirty, it will be clean.”

Source: Joe Biden. “2008 Vice Presidential Debate”. St. Louis, MO, Oct. 2, 2008

“We're not supporting clean coal,”…China is building two every week, two dirty coal plants. And it's polluting the United States, it's causing people to die. “China's gonna burn 300 years of bad coal unless we figure out how to clean their coal up because it's gonna ruin your lungs and there's nothing we can do about it. No coal plants here in America…Build 'em, if they're gonna build 'em, over there and make 'em clean because they're killing ya.”

Source: Biden, Joe, “Remarks at Campaign Rally”, Maumee, Ohio,  Sept. 23, 2008.

“I don't think there's much of a role for clean coal in energy independence, but I do think there's a significant role for clean coal in the bigger picture of climate change. Clean-coal technology is not the route to go in the United States, because we have other, cleaner alternatives. But I would invest a considerable amount of money in research and development of clean-coal and carbon-sequestration technologies for export.  China is building one new coal-fired plant per week. That's not going to change unless there's a fundamental change in technology, because they have about 300 years of dirty coal, and they're going to use it.”

Source: Biden, Joe. Interview with Amanda Little. Grist, Aug. 29, 2007.

Policy Position

• Clean coal is not the way of resolving America’s energy crisis, but believes in the need to develop clean coal technologies for export to major carbon emitting countries, like India and China, in order to curb global climate change.
•  Supports spending $50 billion over five years in new incentives for research into energy sources, renewable energy and carbon capture and storage technologies. 
• Believes all new coal-fired power plants should be built with carbon capture and storage capacity

Source: Biden, Joe. Interview with Amanda Little. Grist, Aug. 29, 2007.

“… in that 'all of the above' approach that Sen. McCain supports, the alternative fuels will be tapped into: the nuclear, the clean coal.”

Source: Sarah Palin. “2008 Vice Presidential Debate”. St. Louis, MO, Oct. 2, 2008

“We Will make clean coal a reality and to help power the economy using clean coal technology, we are going to look to the people of Ohio to do that…By developing this technology we will not only deliver electricity, but jobs.”

Source: Sarah Palin, Remarks at Campaign Rally” Columbus, Ohio, Sept. 29, 2008.

“We have got to get on board with the alternative fuel. John McCain has some great plans there. Also tapping into the nuclear, the clean coal to biomass, geothermal, tides, waves, all those things that we have as alternative energy sources, it's gotta be an all-of-the-above approach to energy independence.” 

Source: Sarah Palin. Interview with Katie Couric, CBS Nightly News, Sept. 29, 2008.

“There is scientific consensus that our climate is warming and human activity is driving it. Global warming not only has serious consequences for our environment, it poses a serious national security threat. We not only need to act at home to cap greenhouse gas emissions, we also need to work towards a global solution.”

“The science is clear, and the physical consequences of global warming are obvious in shrinking polar ice caps, retreating glaciers, stronger storms, and changing rainfall patterns. We can expect rising sea levels, spreading diseases, and unpredictable, abrupt climate shifts. Even the richest nations will face huge costs coping with this challenge. The poorest nations will be hit the worst and will have the fewest resources with which to respond. This is a recipe for global resource wars, and even great resentment of our wealth by those less fortunate – a new world disorder. We must act.”

Source:  Sen. Joe Biden Senate web site, Sept. 8, 2008.
Policy Position

Policy Position

• Strengthen international engagement by urging U.S. negotiators to return to global climate change negotiations and seek binding commitments among all major emitting nations – including emerging nations such as China and India – to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to levels that prevent global warming.
• Supports the Clean Power Act, directing the Environmental Protection Agency to require power plants to achieve specific reductions in emissions of sulfur dioxide, carbon dioxide, nitrogen dioxide, and mercury.
•  Supports a cap and trade program to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to 80 percent below 1990 levels by 2050
  Source:  Sen. Joe Biden Senate web site, Sept. 8, 2008.

'Activity of man to the changes in the climate. There is something to be said also for man's activities, but also for the cyclical temperature changes on our planet.”

“So even in dealing with climate change, it's all the more reason that we have an ‘all of the above’ approach, tapping into alternative sources of energy and conserving fuel, conserving our petroleum products and our hydrocarbons so that we can clean up this planet and deal with climate change.”

Question: Do you support capping carbon emissions?

Palin: 'I do. I do.'

Source: Sarah Palin. “2008 Vice Presidential Debate”. St. Louis, MO, Oct. 2, 2008

Question: John McCain proposed legislation calling for mandatory caps on global warming gases or CO2 emissions. Do you agree with that?

Palin: “I support his position on that. Absolutely.”

Question: Voluntary or mandatory in your view? 

Palin: “We're gonna keep working on how it can be implemented to actually make sense and make a difference.”

Source: Sarah Palin. Interview with Katie Couric, CBS Nightly News, Sept. 29, 2008

• Supports updating the mining laws so companies pay more royalties for mining public lands and do more to restore the land after completing projects.

Source: Shapley, Dan, “Sen. Joe Biden”, The Daily Green, Oct. 25, 2007.

“Let me take my governor's hat off just for a minute here and tell you, personally, Prop 4, I vote no on that. I have all the confidence in the world that the Department of Environmental Conservation and our Department of Natural Resources have great, very stringent regulations and policies already in place. We're going to make sure that mines operate only safely, and soundly.' 

Source: Lamb, Jason, “'Governor's hat' off, Palin blasts Clean Water initiative', KTUU, Anchorage, Alaska, Aug. 22, 2008.

Policy Position  

• Opposed Ballot Measure 4 (also know as the Clean Water Initiative), which would have imposed unattainable environmental laws, making it harder for mines (specifically, the pebble mine project) in Alaska to operate.

Source: Lamb, Jason, “'Governor's hat' off, Palin blasts Clean Water initiative”, KTUU, Anchorage, Alaska, Aug. 22, 2008.

Renewable Portfolio Standard

• Supports setting a national renewable portfolio standard requiring that at least 20 percent of the country’s electricity comes from clean, renewable sources like wind, solar, biomass and geothermal

Source:  Sen. Joe Biden Senate web site, Sept. 8, 2008. 

• Voted “Yea” on S.AMDT 791 to HR.6: To establish a renewable portfolio standard

Renewable Electricity

Policy Position

• Supports creating a five-year, $50 billion investment in new incentives for research including: alternative fuel and energy sources, renewable energy, and carbon capture and storage technologies that will allow us to use coal cleanly.
• Would set a national renewable portfolio standard of 20 percent to require that at least one-fifth of the country’s electricity comes from clean, renewable sources like wind, solar, biomass, and geothermal

Source: Re-Elect Joe Biden campaign website, Sept. 10, 2008.

• Supported a $250 million 'Renewable Energy Fund'  in Alaska for alternative projects, like hydro, wind, geothermal, and biomass

Source: State of the State Address to the 25th Alaska Legislature Jan. 15, 2008.

• Joe Biden is a co-sponsor of the Employee Free Choice Act, and will work to ensure workers have the right to join unions without interference from employers.

Source: Joe Biden Senate web site, Sept. 10, 2008.

“He's [Todd Palin] a lifelong commercial fisherman ... a production operator in the oil fields of Alaska's North Slope ... a proud member of the United Steel Workers' Union ... and world champion snow machine racer.” 

Source: Palin, Sarah, “Acceptance Speech.” Republican National Convention, Sept 3, 2008.