A High-energy argument
Bush and Kerry both want less dependence on foreign oil--but how?
Their approaches to ANWR represent the starkest, but hardly the only, difference between the candidates in regard to energy. Many of Bush's other ideas are contained in the recommendations of a controversial energy task force that was appointed early in his presidency and chaired by Vice President Cheney. Environmentalists charged that the group's findings were based largely on meetings with industry insiders and sued to have more of the task force's records made public; the issue has gone all the way to the Supreme Court and still isn't resolved. But the task force's suggestions, issued in May 2001, became the basis for an energy bill pushed by the administration. Among the bill's proposals were expanding various types of domestic production, from offshore drilling to next-generation nuclear plants, as well as investing in clean coal technology and hydrogen fuel. The bill passed the House, but the inclusion of the ANWR idea, as well as a proposal to offer lawsuit protection to companies that make a groundwater-contaminating gas additive, has kept the Senate from following suit.
Standards. Still, bits of energy policy have been enacted. A few weeks ago, the president renewed popular tax credits for wind, solar, and geothermal energy projects. The Environmental Protection Agency has tightened pollution standards for nonroad diesel equipment like tractors and raised fuel economy standards for SUV s. The administration is also filling the Strategic Petroleum Reserve to its capacity of 700 million barrels--it's at about 670 million today--to protect the country against supply disruptions. That move has proved controversial. With global supplies tight and prices high, keeping oil out of circulation "makes no sense at all," says Frank Verrastro, director of the Energy Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies.
Kerry's signature proposal is bold: He wants 20 percent of U.S. electricity coming from renewable sources by 2020. The current figure is about 6 percent. But the point, says Kerry's energy adviser, Heather Zichal, is to at least "set a goal for the future." The Democratic nominee also wants to get more oil from non-OPEC countries, like Russia. In 2002, Kerry and Republican Sen. John McCain came under fire for proposing big-time boosts in fuel efficiency standards for cars and light trucks. Now Kerry wants to offer tax credits to consumers who purchase high-economy vehicles and financial incentives to manufacturers to retool their plants to produce them.
As for Pinkham, the appliance salesman, he has considered solving his problems by buying one of those hybrid gas-electric cars, like a Toyota Prius, which gets close to 50 mpg. All that's missing from the eco-friendly ride, says the guy who schleps product samples across Los Angeles, is a bigger trunk.
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