Gas prices and energy independence are some pretty common words being tossed around during this year’s Presidential Campaign. And it’s certainly a topic that has come to the forefront in many American family’s lives this year as fuel prices rose to their highest levels ever. Here we take a quick look at where John McCain stands on alternative fuel and energy efficient transportation issues.
John McCain’s voting history: He has a tendency to change his tune on environmental issues and has repeatedly voted against renewable energy programs in lieu of supporting the nuclear and oil industries.
Here are the highlights to help you make the most of the vote that you’ll cast on November 4, 2008:
- Proposes the Lexington Project: calls for more drilling, more nuclear energy and additional research into alternative energy
- Supports an end to the offshore drilling moratorium that has kept the majority of the Gulf of Mexico, Atlantic and Pacific coasts free of oil exploration and production
- Supports building 45 nuclear power plants by 2030, with total goal of 100 and supports giving billions of dollars in subsidies to the nuclear industry
- Opposes raising fuel efficiency standards and will keep existing CAFÉ standards
- Opposes the imposition of windfall profit taxes on oil companies
- Proposes $3.8 billion in new tax breaks for oil companies
- Supports the expanding use of natural gas, a domestic resource—plans to use it for electricity and as a transportation fuel, plus increase the infrastructure
- Committed to offering a $5,000 tax credit for every consumer who buys a zero carbon emission car, along with a graduated tax credit dependent upon carbon emissions
- Proposes a $300 million prize for the full commercial development of plug-in and full electric vehicles: “for the development of a battery package that has the size, capacity, cost and power to leapfrog the commercially available plug-in hybrids or electric cars.”
- Supports a more rapid switchover to flex-fuel vehicles (than the current 50 percent by 2012 that automakers have committed to)
- Believes alcohol-based fuels hold great promise
- Wants to move away from the current corn ethanol dilemma and eliminate mandates, subsidies, tariffs and price supports focused exclusively on corn-based ethanol
- Will commit $2 billion annually to further the development of clean coal technologies
- Proposes a cap-and-trade system that will set limits and set the stage for a gradual reduction of greenhouse gas emissions
- Will encourage the use of temporary tax credits for developing the wind, hydro and solar power markets