by Damozel | While Obama is taking a bit of stick for his concession on offshore drilling. But his speech in Lansing today seems to have resonated with a lot of people and his New Energy Plan have received a lot of praise, now that they've seen the full picture.
Let's start with the speech. Among other things, he said:
Without a doubt, this addiction is one of the most dangerous and urgent threats this nation has ever faced - from the gas prices that are wiping out your paychecks and straining businesses to the jobs that are disappearing from this state; from the instability and terror bred in the Middle East to the rising oceans and record drought and spreading famine that could engulf our planet. [More]
Deb Cupples discusses his drilling 180 here, and the opposition of some progressives and also Nancy Pelosi here and here. In Alternet's environmental pages, Kate Sheppard also discusses weekend reactions to his apparent wavering on this point.
Democrat Barack Obama on Friday said he would be willing to support some offshore drilling if it were necessary to enact a comprehensive energy plan, and indicated that he could support the bipartisan energy plan put forward by the Senate's "Gang of 10" that includes both drilling and a major investment in renewables.
The shift on drilling drew a lot of heat over the weekend, as pundits accused the candidate of flip-flopping on the issue, though Obama says he still doesn't actively support opening up more areas for leasing as a solution to energy concerns.
"My interest is in making sure we've got the kind of comprehensive energy policy that can bring down gas prices," said Obama, noting that he remains skeptical that drilling would provide much, if any, relief on gas prices. [More]
I've outlined his energy policy below (with further discussion). Today he emphasized:
We simply cannot pretend, as Senator McCain does, that we can drill our way out of this problem. We need a much bolder and much bigger set of solutions. We have to make a serious, nationwide commitment to developing new sources of energy and we have to do it right away. [More; emphasis added]
His New Energy Plan for America does emphasize some short-term solutions, but to be fair, he is focusing on the longer picture. Short term solutions include {details provided at the link) the following proposed policies:
- Immediately provide energy rebate.
- Crack down on excessive energy speculation.
- Swap light and heavy crude, release oil from Strategic Petroleum Reserve to cut prices.
At Alternet, Kate Sheppard writes:
One new item in Obama's energy plan is a call for the release of a portion of oil from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve in order to cut prices, a move that some Democrats in Congress have been calling for as well. Campaign energy policy director Heather Zichal said that this isn't a complete reversal of his previous position, though just a few weeks ago Obama said he did not support releasing oil from the reserve. She said his proposal would swap out light crude from the reserve for heavy crude, and is necessary in an energy crisis. "Senator Obama has looked at this issue and he realizes Americans are suffering and he made the distinction that we do need to tap the strategic energy reserve," said Zichal, according to The Wall Street Journal. [More]
As noted above, he also proposes an energy rebate. Sheppard elaborates:
In his speech today, Obama also touted his plan to issue an energy rebate to help deal with high gas prices. Families would receive a $1,000 rebate, and individuals would receive one for $500. His plan would use the proceeds of a windfall-profits tax on oil companies to fund his "Emergency Energy Rebate.[More]
Mid to long-term solutions include the following proposed policies (and again, the details are in the report):
1. Tackle climate change.
- Implement cap and trade program to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
- Make the US a leader on climate change.
2. Invest in our secure energy future and create 5 million jobs.
- Invest in a clean energy economy, creating new jobs.
- Create a "Green Vet Initiative" (offering vets opportunities to acquire skills in this new field and to place them in related jobs)
- Convert our manufacturing centers into clean technology leaders.
3. Make our cars, trucks, and SUVs fuel efficient.
- Increase fuel economy standards.
- Invest in developing advanced vehicles and put 1 million plug-in electrical vehicles on the road by 2015.
- Partner with domestic automakers (tax credits and loans).
- Mandate that all new vehicles be flexible fuel vehicles.
- Develop the next generation of sustainable biofuels and infrastructure.
4. Establish a national low carbon fuel standard.
5. Promote the supply of domestic energy [environmentalists will want to take a look at the details on page 6].
- Make oil companies that own existing leases drill or lose their leases (to increase domestic production)
- Promote responsible domestic production of oil and natural gas. He would immediately go to work to identify and resolve problems in obtaining permits for certain areas (listed in the report) which have substantial recoverable supplies of oil and natural gas.
- Prioritize construction of the Alaska Pipeline.
- Use enhanced recovery methods to obtain oil from existing fields.
6. Diversify our energy sources.
- Require 10 percent of electricity to come from renewable sources by 2012.
- Develop and deploy clean coal technology.
- Develop safe and secure nuclear energy.
7. Commit to efficient use of energy to reduce energy use and lower the costs
- Deploy the cleanest, fastest energy source---efficient use of energy [details are in the report] by cutting electricity demand through stricter building and use standards.
- Set national building efficiency goals.
- Reduce federal energy consumption.
- Require states to offer incentives to utility companies and offer them technical assistance. "This "regulatory equity" starts with the decoupling of profits from increased energy usage, which will incentivize companies to partner" with government agencies and consumers to reduce montly energy costs.
- Invest in a smart grid.
- Weatherize one million homes annually and ensure that people who need heat can get it.
- Build more livable and sustainable communities, including transportation alternatives and setting things up to make walking and biking easier and safer.
Anyway, that's the broad outline. Joseph Romm ["a Senior Fellow at the Center for American Progress, where he oversees the blog ClimateProgress.org...[and] author of a forthcoming book on climate science, solutions, and politics: Hell and High Water: Global Warming—The Solution and The Politics"] praised the plan in a piece called Obama Delivers a Real Energy Plan for America: Efficiency Now, 10% Renewables by 2012, One Million Plug-ins by 2015.
Romm seems extremely impressed:
This is easily the best energy plan ever put forward by a nominee of either party. By comparison, the plan of John "Nothing but Nukes" McCain is a joke, with nothing on energy efficiency and a pointless $300 million battery prize and long-standing opposition to renewable energy. In contrast, Obama's plan has real depth and breath:...
This is the only way to jumpstart an end to our addiction to oil in a climate friendly way. Indeed, an accelerated transition to plug-in hybrids and electric cars -- a core climate solution-- must be the cornerstone of any serious effort to dramatically reduce oil consumption and greenhouse gas emissions (see "Why electricity is the only alternative fuel that can lead to energy independence"). That is the crucial litmus test for any presidential candidate's energy independence or clean transportation policy.
As for the test of a candidate's grasp of electricity policy, energy efficiency is obviously The only cheap power left and a limitless resource and THE core climate solution. Obama understands energy efficiency in a way few other major politicians do, as his plan makes clear:...
Finally, a presidential nominee that really gets it (see "Energy efficiency, Part 4: How does California do it so consistently and cost-effectively?")... This is an aggressive, achievable, and most important of all, a necessary energy plan. Kudos to Senator Obama and his energy team. Maybe he is The One.. [More]
Mark Thoma at Economist's View says:
I'm not a big fan of the windfall profits tax proposal, relief for those who are struggling can be financed in better ways. But that's not all there is to Obama's energy policy. Beyond the proposal to address short-run needs by giving "every working family in America a $1,000 energy rebate" financed by the windfall profits tax, he also has a focus where it's needed, on finding solutions to the longer run energy challenges we face...
Blue Texan was impressed both by this speech and by the ad (shown and discussed here). "Beautiful," he says.
At My DD, Jerome Armstrong says:
Terrific. A remarkable blend of pragmatism and vision.
Sure, he accepted that offshore drilling is going to be part of the solution, integrates it, but then goes long with renewable energy and conservation....
The 'about-face' flip on tapping the oil reserve is also a good move. He'll need to weather the 'politically motivated' charge, but he's not had a problem with that in the past. In short, Obama has taken the last three days to radically alter his positioning by accepting offshore drilling as a short-term component. This disses the purist that would rather lose on principle, but by doing so, he has shown a sort of flexibility that the democratic leadership in Congress have not been able to muster over the past couple of months.
At Democratic Daily, Pamela Leavey says: "It’s a great speech and an awesome energy plan. The change is coming…"
Meanwhile, Obama continues to "hammer" McCain on his "oil executive approved" plan.
Memeorandum has more discussion here.
RELATED POSTINGS
Harry Shearer: "Addicted to Oil"
Pelosi Stands Firm Against Offshore Drilling
Progressive Magazine Asks Obama Stop Changing Positions and Start Standing on Principles
Watch Out Florida: Obama Signals Support for Offshore Oil Drilling
You Jest: 300 Economists 'Enthusiastically Support' McCain's Economic Plan?
McCain to Balance the Budget And Spin Gold Out of Manure
Oil Executives Approve McCain's Awesome Drilling Plans
Comments