Presidential Candidates Call for More Hybrids
Published April 11, 2008
John McCain visited a Ford assembly plant in February. The tour focused on Ford's hybrid and fuel efficient models.
Even with the economy and the war in Iraq dominating the discourse surrounding the presidential elections, environmental concerns and energy policy could potentially become major issues by the end of the summer. Oil prices hit record highs seemingly every week, and young voters—who have been a crucial demographic in several primary states—tend to see the environment as one of the most crucial challenges facing the country.
As Newsweek points out, only around 10 percent of voters said they would weigh a candidate's environmental positions in the last two elections, but this year that number has jumped to 30 percent.
Each of the three remaining candidates have made efforts to be perceived as "forward thinking" environmental issues, and if Americans are paying in excess of $4.50 per gallon for gasoline by the end of the summer, it's likely that both nominees will scramble to create proposals to ease the burden. Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton have both already outlined major energy and transportation initiatives designed to stimulate public transportation, plug-in hybrid technologies and biofuels.
Obama
Obama's energy plan would allocate $150 billion over ten years to help build a green energy sector and dramatically increase current fuel efficiency standards by 2018—even beyond new CAFE levels. Obama says his goal is to reduce oil consumption the United States by at least 35 percent by the year 2030. Last year, the senator introduced a bill that would pay as much as 10 percent of retiree health care costs for auto companies that were willing to invest half of those savings into hybrid and alternative fuel vehicles.
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I'll never vote for McCain, but any of them will be better than Bush. Hopefully out next president will be willing to take a more active role in encouraging hybrids and more efficient cars from our domestic automakers. A carrot of subsidies for development with a stick of fines for not meeting goals or raising average fuel economy.
Funny how they show McCain for this article...
...When Obama is the most concerned candidate about the environment.
I too would never vote for McCain. Look at how much the current republican president kept his word of getting us off oil. Every single state of the union speech he said he would do this and that but has done nothing to date...
McCain's talk on global warming and getting off oil are not significant because people who care about these issues are likely vote for him. What it reflects is that the mainstream of the Republican party (and the country in general of course,) are beginning to take this seriously. Bush is an oil man from a long line of oil men who probably only talks to a handful on of people who aren't oil men (or women.) But the GOP (and the Dems for that matter,) represent a diverse array of corporate interests, and in most industries, cutting down on carbon emissions and energy expenditures is a top priority right now.
I would never vote for McCain. Look at how he can't bend. The President needs to ability to bend!
Now that my joke is out of the way: I too do not see McCain as someone concerned about the environment or our future.
Unfortunately they have all bought into the Global Warming Hoax perpetrated by Algore the Profit! Too bad, because what we need on top of all the rest of the bad financial news is another stupid tax increase so the government can waste our money!!! All Gore has done is raised the specter of a doomsday that isn't coming to inflate his lackluster life and overinflated ego!
Your right Hal, we have inadvertently discovered a natural system whose chemical makeup can be drastically altered with no ill effects! Yea for us! Magic is real! We get to keep our SUVs! Mean ol' Al trying to take our big honkin' trucks!! I have to go now and watch the pigs fly.
Hal,
I get taxed on my income, on my purchases, on my vehicles, on my property, on my trash, water, schools. I agree there are too many taxes, but where is this GW tax you keep referring to? If you are going to rant, at least cite what it is you are talking about.
And for once, just take the whole GW issue off the table and look at this issue as if it does not exist. It would not make a difference to me, we need to lesson our dependencies on oil and forge ahead with new technologies for a multitude of other reasons. Caring about the environment does not just mean GW.
OBAMA ALREADY OWNS AND DRIVES A HYBRID!!
A FORD ESCAPE!!
I don't trust any politician. What did Clinton/Gore do when they were in power to lessen foreign oil use? Next to nothing.
And Hillary going to spend $100 billion here, and $100 billion there, and several $100's of billions on health care. And she's going to buy 100,000 hybrids for the US government.
I'm retired from the US. Forest Service which has over 40,000 employees at over 800 work locations. The annual FS Budget was a little about $3.5 billion and half of that was dedicated to fighting forest fires. Other than military spending, can't see where the money's coming from.
The reason there are ANY production hybrids is Clinton/Gore's PNGV program from the 90s, it scared Toyota and Honda into developing their own hybrid technology. Unfortunantly as soon as the PNGV money stopped GM and Chrysler dumped their programs and now are 5-10 years behind.
The Dems could run a monkey and I'ld vote for him, that said I wish we had more real choices.
Dave K. says:
The Dems could run a monkey and I'ld vote for him,
how about a donkey
Funny how republicans always cry and whine when we want to spend something on our citizens or when we want to advance science.
When money is needed to kill brown people though... bring it on.
Hopefully republicanism will meet the same fate as communism as a failed autocratic economic policy.
Hey Hal, Iraq pre-US invasion had zero personal or corporate income tax. They also had no gun control laws. Republican heaven.
Please read Apollo's Fire by Jay Inslee. We need a go-to-the-moon project to become energy independent and quickly stop burning fossil fuels. Barack Obama is our only serious hope for doing this. A third Bush regime under McCain would be disastrous.
Everybody is quick to bash Bush. I am a Democrat, and don't care for the man, but we can't keep blaming him for everything. Let's all look at ourselves first. How many of you guys own a Hybrid or alternative fuel car? How many of you own an SUV or guzzling sports car? Yes, I am as much to blame as you, partially.
I own a Chrysler Town & Country minivan. I get about 26 Hwy/17 City MPG. Here's why I say "partially"; I purchased it because I have 4 children, so size was an issue, but I made my choice because it is a flex-fuel vehicle. Unfortunately, the closest station to get E-85 for me is over 150 miles from home. So needless to say, my T&C has not tasted the sweet flavor of an alternative fuel yet. I would have purchased a Hybrid minivan, but I'm still waiting for Toyota to import theirs, or for another noble company to get one on the road. so, I would if I could, but I can't so I didn't.
Now for the Bush thing, let's not forget that we had Clinton for 8 years before Bush. He did nothing either. Actually, I don't remember anybody making any notable effort in this issue since Carter, after the Oil Embargo. Remember where the first CAFE law came from?
I must agree with the comment from Fox777 that we need a "go-to-the-moon" project to get this done. We need a huge government push, or a friendly competition with a rival. But remember, it is up to me and you to do the right thing and take the issue into our own hands by voting, purchasing and conserving so that we all make a difference. Remember, talk is cheap, actions speak louder than words.
P.S. As a foot note about me, I am currently working the financing to have photovoltaics installed in my home.
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