JOHN McCAIN AN ENERGY HYPOCRITE?

McCains Energy Plan

Expanding Domestic Oil And Natural Gas Exploration And Production

John McCain Will Commit Our Country To Expanding Domestic Oil Exploration. The current federal moratorium on drilling in the Outer Continental Shelf stands in the way of energy exploration and production. John McCain believes it is time for the federal government to lift these restrictions and to put our own reserves to use. There is no easier or more direct way to prove to the world that we will no longer be subject to the whims of others than to expand our production capabilities. We have trillions of dollars worth of oil and gas reserves in the U.S. at a time we are exporting hundreds of billions of dollars a year overseas to buy energy. This is the largest transfer of wealth in the history of mankind. We should keep more of our dollars here in the U.S., lessen our foreign dependency, increase our domestic supplies, and reduce our trade deficit - 41% of which is due to oil imports. John McCain proposes to cooperate with the states and the Department of Defense in the decisions to develop these resources.

John McCain Believes In Promoting And Expanding The Use Of Our Domestic Supplies Of Natural Gas. When people are hurting, and struggling to afford gasoline, food, and other necessities, common sense requires that we draw upon America's own vast reserves of oil and natural gas. Within the United States we have tremendous reserves of natural gas. The Outer Continental Shelf alone contains 77 trillion cubic feet of recoverable natural gas. It is time that we capitalize on these significant resources and build the infrastructure needed to transport this important component of electricity generation and transportation fuel around the country.

The Nation Cannot Reduce Its Dependency On Oil Unless We Change How We Power Our Transportation Sector.

John McCain's Clean Car Challenge. John McCain will issue a Clean Car Challenge to the automakers of America, in the form of a single and substantial tax credit for the consumer based on the reduction of carbon emissions. He will commit a $5,000 tax credit for each and every customer who buys a zero carbon emission car, encouraging automakers to be first on the market with these cars in order to capitalize on the consumer incentives. For other vehicles, a graduated tax credit will apply so that the lower the carbon emissions, the higher the tax credit.

John McCain Will Propose A $300 Million Prize To Improve Battery Technology For Full Commercial Development Of Plug-In Hybrid And Fully Electric Automobiles. A $300 million prize should be awarded 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. That battery should deliver a power source at 30 percent of the current costs. At $300 million, the prize is one dollar for every man, woman and child in this country - and a small price to pay for breaking our dependence on oil.

John McCain Supports Flex-Fuel Vehicles (FFVs) And Believes They Should Play A Greater Role In Our Transportation Sector. In just three years, Brazil went from new cars sales that were about 5 percent FFVs to over 70 percent of new vehicles that were FFVs. American automakers have committed to make 50 percent of their cars FFVs by 2012. John McCain calls on automakers to make a more rapid and complete switch to FFVs.

John McCain Believes Alcohol-Based Fuels Hold Great Promise As Both An Alternative To Gasoline And As A Means of Expanding Consumers' Choices. Some choices such as ethanol are on the market right now. The second generation of alcohol-based fuels like cellulosic ethanol, which won't compete with food crops, are showing great potential.

Today, Isolationist Tariffs And Wasteful Special Interest Subsidies Are Not Moving Us Toward An Energy Solution. We need to level the playing field and eliminate mandates, subsidies, tariffs and price supports that focus exclusively on corn-based ethanol and prevent the development of market-based solutions which would provide us with better options for our fuel needs.

John McCain Will Effectively Enforce Existing CAFE Standards. John McCain has long supported CAFE standards - the mileage requirements that automobile manufacturers' cars must meet. Some carmakers ignore these standards, pay a small financial penalty, and add it to the price of their cars. John McCain believes that the penalties for not following these standards must be effective enough to compel all carmakers to produce fuel-efficient vehicles.

John McCain Believes That The U.S. Must Become A Leader In A New International Green Economy. Green jobs and green technology will be vital to our economic future. There is no reason that the U.S. should not be a leader in developing and deploying these new technologies.

John McCain Will Commit $2 Billion Annually To Advancing Clean Coal Technologies. Coal produces the majority of our electricity today. Some believe that marketing viable clean coal technologies could be over 15 years away. John McCain believes that this is too long to wait, and we need to commit significant federal resources to the science, research and development that advance this critical technology. Once commercialized, the U.S. can then export these technologies to countries like China that are committed to using their coal - creating new American jobs and allowing the U.S. to play a greater role in the international green economy.

John McCain Will Put His Administration On Track To Construct 45 New Nuclear Power Plants By 2030 With The Ultimate Goal Of Eventually Constructing 100 New Plants. Nuclear power is a proven, zero-emission source of energy, and it is time we recommit to advancing our use of nuclear power. Currently, nuclear power produces 20% of our power, but the U.S. has not started construction on a new nuclear power plant in over 30 years. China, India and Russia have goals of building a combined total of over 100 new plants and we should be able to do the same. It is also critical that the U.S. be able to build the components for these plants and reactors within our country so that we are not dependent on foreign suppliers with long wait times to move forward with our nuclear plans.

John McCain Will Establish A Permanent Tax Credit Equal To 10 Percent Of Wages Spent On R&D. This reform will simplify the tax code, reward activity in the U.S., and make us more competitive with other countries. A permanent credit will provide an incentive to innovate and remove uncertainty. At a time when our companies need to be more competitive, we need to provide a permanent incentive to innovate, and remove the uncertainty now hanging over businesses as they make R&D investment decisions.

John McCain Will Encourage The Market For Alternative, Low Carbon Fuels Such As Wind, Hydro And Solar Power. According to the Department of Energy, wind could provide as much as one-fifth of electricity by 2030. The U.S. solar energy industry continued its double-digit annual growth rate in 2006. To develop these and other sources of renewable energy will require that we rationalize the current patchwork of temporary tax credits that provide commercial feasibility. John McCain believes in an even-handed system of tax credits that will remain in place until the market transforms sufficiently to the point where renewable energy no longer merits the taxpayers' dollars.

As my wife the psychologist is fond of saying, the best predictor of future behavior is past behavior.

Interesting, farmerman. I'm not sure about the drill, baby, drill argument, other than the fact that it sounds kind of absurd. Would allowing more offshore drilling and drilling in ANWR do anything to lessen our dependence on fossil fuels? What's the argument there?

I remember about a month or so ago that the GOP had this slogan about "find more use less". That seems contradictory to me. If we find more, won't we use more? But what do I know.

Two things I heard on NPR the other day that I have been meaning to ask you about, FM...

Drill Baby Drill - person on NPR was saying domestic oil would not lower our costs because it would go into international market (commodity) and mix with everyone else s oil. We obviously think, yeah, drill here and we'll just go by our own oil field to fill our tanks and "UP YOURS" towel heads! In reality, adding our oil to the market just means other countries can lower their production to keep cost per barrel where they want it AND extend their supply. Demand and availability remain the same even if we drill at home.

The other thing pointed out is that we do not have the vast oil supply of middle east countries. So, drilling now and putting our oil on the market puts us at risk down the road strategically when, if we haven't completely weaned ourselves from oil, we run out and have no choice but to go to middle east countries for oil.

What are your thoughts?

People at NPR do not know what they are talking about.

http://www.fas.org/sgp/crs/secrecy/RL31832.pdf

VIENNA, Austria (AP) - OPEC oil ministers agreed Wednesday to trim overall output by more than 500,000 barrels a day in a compromise meant to avoid new turmoil in crude markets while seeking to bolster falling prices.

The news sent oil prices rising. Light, sweet crude for October delivery rose 97 cents to $104.23 a barrel in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange.

The OPEC announcement reflected the organization's efforts to cover all bases in an oil market that saw prices spike to a record high just short of $150 a barrel in July, only to shed nearly 30 percent off those peaks in subsequent months.

http://apnews.myway.com/article/20080910/D933QRB80.html

This is why the US needs to eliminate dependency on ANY foreign imports. The lies told by Bush and anyone else who says "supply and demand" is playing you for a fool. OPEC controls the supply therefore, sound economic can not be utilized.

McCain has the plan to begin a multi faceted approach which should include drilling as a temporary measure while other long term development projects begin.

Obama is still thinking about it. For 30 years Congress has been "thinking about it".

You want change, vote for McCain

Oh, really? Then why is McCain voting AGAINST long-term projects and tax credits that would spur such projects right now? His behavior doesn't match his rhetoric.

Cycloptichorn

John McCain Will Establish A Permanent Tax Credit Equal To 10 Percent Of Wages Spent On R&D. This reform will simplify the tax code, reward activity in the U.S., and make us more competitive with other countries. A permanent credit will provide an incentive to innovate and remove uncertainty. At a time when our companies need to be more competitive, we need to provide a permanent incentive to innovate, and remove the uncertainty now hanging over businesses as they make R&D investment decisions.


John McCain Will Encourage The Market For Alternative, Low Carbon Fuels Such As Wind, Hydro And Solar Power. According to the Department of Energy, wind could provide as much as one-fifth of electricity by 2030. The U.S. solar energy industry continued its double-digit annual growth rate in 2006. To develop these and other sources of renewable energy will require that we rationalize the current patchwork of temporary tax credits that provide commercial feasibility. John McCain believes in an even-handed system of tax credits that will remain in place until the market transforms sufficiently to the point where renewable energy no longer merits the taxpayers' dollars.

No, he won't. He says he will, but his past actions are the opposite of this.

Cycloptichorn

What past actions would that be?

Farmerman outlined them in the original post. McCain's voting record shows no support whatsoever for renewable energy, or any other form than oil drilling and coal burning, really.

Cycloptichorn

Hmmmm. So based upon that logic, is it safe to assume Obama can not keep his word either since he too can be accused of hypocracy?

Bottom line to me is I have more faith in McCain keeping his word than Obama.

What can you show me that would change my mind, is the problem the Democrats have with objective voters like myself.

Looks more like Farmerman's opinions to me.

Do you really want to judge the next President on his legislative voting record? If so, there could be no way you would ever vote Obama.

I disagree.

And those aren't Farmer's opinions - McCain really did skip nearly every single energy vote, and has never been a fan of anything but oil.

Cycloptichorn

Freebuck, That's too "deep" an idea for voters to comprehend. The McCain/Palin sound bites finds agreement with the majority of Americans. What that tells me, and what I'm ready to say is I don't want to use ad hominems to upset too many on these boards. It's against some people's sensitivities to insult the American voter.

So what about Obama's voting record? Obama himself voted for a 2005 energy bill backed by Bush that included billions in subsidies for oil and natural gas production, a measure Cheney played a major role in developing. McCain opposed the bill on grounds it included billions in unnecessary tax breaks for the oil industry.

So, who is the hypocrite on energy and who is the reformer?

Darn those facts get in the way!

Yes, he did. That bill also included renewable energy tax credits and other programs to encourage us to build our energy base here at home.

It's called a 'compromise.' Bush would never have signed the bill that Obama wanted, so he took what he could get. C'mon, McG.

Cycloptichorn

On NBC’s Meet The Press on September 7th, New York Times columnist Thomas Friedman criticized the chanting of “drill, drill, drill” and “drill, baby, drill” at the Republican National Convention last week, saying that’s just what Saudi Arabia, Russia, Venezuela and Nigeria want to hear Americans focusing on. “They’d be up there leading the chant. They would be saying, ‘this is great, America isn’t sitting there saying, invent, invent, invent new renewable energy,’” said Friedman. Friedman added that he isn’t opposed to offshore drilling, but we shouldn’t be “making that the center focus”:



Watch it:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OHxSLLSn2Ec

so here's an idea, designate all royalties from the leasing of these sites to funding for renewable energy reseach.