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Clinton’s climate and energy plan
Some reflections on the strengths and weaknesses of Hillary’s new proposal
David Roberts, Gristmill
Hillary Clinton released her comprehensive energy and climate plan today. It is thoughtful, comprehensive, and though disappointingly conventional in a few areas, inspiringly bold in others.
With the release of Clinton’s plan, all three Democratic frontrunners for the presidency now have visionary, far-reaching energy plans that would fundamentally reorient the country away from carbon-intensive energy and toward energy efficiency and renewables. It is difficult to think of a another policy issue on which the ground has shifted so far, so fast, and difficult to think of another policy issue on which the gulf between the two political parties is so vast and striking.
Here are a few of the highlights:
- A cap-and-trade system, aiming for 80% emission reductions from 1990 levels by 2050, that auctions 100% of pollution credits.
- Efficiency, efficiency, efficiency …
- Investment, investment, investment …
- Making energy a core concern of government …
- Focus on shared responsibilities and economic opportunities…
Now, on to some worries:
- Biofuel subsidies …
- Clean coal subsidies …
- Anemic support for public transportation …
- Nothing about a shift in foreign aid or support for adaptation in developing countries …
Anyway, I give the plan an A overall — it could certainly be improved, but as a campaign plank it is fine, fine work, moving the ball forward rather than hiding safely in the middle. Clinton’s team deserves kudos.
(5 November 2007)
Good coverage from David Roberts. Related at Gristmill:
Full text of Clinton’s plan
Live-blogging the speech
The Green Gap (video)
Ana Marie Cox, SwampCast (TIME magazine)
Hillary released a hefty energy policy today, chock full of progressive environmental ideas…that may sound familiar to Barack Obama and John Edwards (as well as Bill Richardson and Al Gore — who she credited). Hillary’s become the last of the front-runners to endorse an 80% reduction in greenhouse gasses by 2050, and she’s pounced upon and expanded the notion of “green collar” jobs (which I first heard from Edwards) that would be created out of investment in alternative energy and she’s adopted Edwards’ emphasis on efficiency standards. (FYI: for info on her positions previous to today, see here.) But most voters will probably care more about the plan itself than its origins and for that judgment I will again go to Grist, who pronounce it “thoughtful, comprehensive, and though disappointingly conventional in a few areas, inspiringly bold in others.”
The comprehensiveness of all the Democrats’ energy plans got me to thinking about how little the R’s have said. Thus, the ‘Cast:
(5 November 2007)
Swampland is a blog by TIME correspondents “about politics in the nation’s capital.”
“Ana Maria Cox, Washington Editor of Time.com, is the founding editor of Wonkette and the author of the novel Dog Days. She is more serious than you’d think but never as sober.”
Bingaman Seeks White House Response to Royalty Decision
E&E Daily
The chairman of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee wants the White House to respond to a court ruling that blocks Interior Department authority to collect royalties on some offshore oil and gas production.
New Mexico Democrat Jeff Bingaman is circulating a sign-on letter among Senate colleagues following a federal judge’s decision on Gulf of Mexico royalties this week. The decision by Judge Patricia Minaldi of the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Louisiana addresses deepwater leases issued between 1996 and 2000 and bars Interior from ending royalty waivers when oil prices are high (Greenwire, Nov. 1).
The ruling addressed leases purchased by the Kerr-McGee Oil and Gas Corp., but could affect billions of dollars in future payments from other producers. Kerr-McGee was purchased by Anadarko Petroleum Corp. last year. Interior says it may appeal the ruling.
(2 November 2007)
The New York Times has more:
A federal judge in Louisiana handed the oil industry a major legal victory this week, saying the government had no authority to suspend billions of dollars’ worth of drilling incentives when energy prices were high.
If upheld, the ruling could free companies from paying the government up to $60 billion in royalties for oil and gas produced in publicly owned waters of the Gulf of Mexico.
Government Cannot Halt Oil Incentives, Judge Rules (NY Times, Nov 2, 2007)
