Public Power - October 2008 - (Page 35)

incentive for innovation. over time. Although McCain would allow both contenders. Both support making fedLow-carbon resources such as wind, so- banking and borrowing of emissions to con- eral government buildings more efficient lar and hydro power are integral to avoiding trol their cost, neither candidate mentions a and re-vamping the electricity grid to use the impacts of climate change, say both the “safety valve” to cut costs in his energy less energy, be suitable for charging electric candidates. Obama would require 10 per- proposals. cars and be more cost-efficient. Obama has cent of energy to come from renewable McCain hopes that, eventually, many called for an economy-wide precedent: resources by the end of his first term, and 25 utilities will be able to reduce the emissions ducing demand for electricity by 15 percent percent from renewable sources by 2025. allowances needed by building new nuclear by the end of the next decade and cutting This is more than double what the United power plants —45, exactly, by 2030, with an demand in half by 2050. Unlike McCain, he States now has in place. This transition to a ultimate goal of constructing 100 new supports decoupling utility profits from the greener America would be driven, in part, plants. In contrast, citing concerns over the energy used by consumers. by the $10 billion he would invest in a safe storage of nuclear waste, Obama has The challenge of tackling climate change Clean Technologies Venture Capital introduced legislation in the Senate to es- is not ours alone, say McCain and Obama. Fund—to make sure things like wind tur- tablish clearer guidelines for tracking, No nation should be exempted from the bines, solar panels, and compact controlling and accounting for spent fuel at obligation to deal with global warming, least fluorescent bulbs are made in the United nuclear plants. Before the use of nuclear of all countries that are accelerating carbon States and not overseas. grows under an Obama presidency, security emissions, McCain said last spring, citing Under either an Obama or McCain ad- of nuclear fuel and waste, waste storage, China and India in particular. “We will apministration, renewables would be used to and proliferation would need to be ad- ply the same environmental standards to return emissions levels to 1990 levels by dressed, according to his plan; Obama is industries in China, India and elsewhere 2020. Following suit with the Lieberman- firmly opposed to storing spent nuclear fuel that we apply to our own industries.” Warner climate change bill and the at Yucca Mountain. Obama, too, believes fighting climate International Panel on Climate Change, Energy efficiency is another priority for change means working with developing Obama sets a higher goal than his countries. In his New Energy for opponent for the year 2050: reducAmerica plan, he suggests re-ening emissions to 80 percent below gaging with the United Nations 1990 levels. McCain proposes to cut Framework Convention on Cliemissions to 60 percent below 1990 mate Change and creating a Global levels by 2050. Energy Forum for the 15 largest While an auction to allot emisgreenhouse gas emitters that would sions allowances is on both be made up of the “Group of 8,” candidates’ radar screens, Obama plus Brazil, China, India, Mexico supports auctioning every single aland South Africa. The forum lowance, while McCain shies away would not only complement and from putting an exact figure on how eventually merge with the U.N.’s many allowances would be auceffort to develop a post-Kyoto tioned, versus how many would be framework, but also would “faciligiven away for free. While McCain tate technology transfer, joint would exempt small businesses international research, and numerfrom a cap-and-trade program, ous large-scale international Obama supports economy-wide demonstration projects”—all acemissions controls. tions equally supported by Senator McCain would, initially, allow McCain. T utilities and other emitters to use Laurel Lundstrom is a former production unlimited domestic and interna- Republican presidential nominee John McCain editor for Public Power who now works tional offsets to cut back their and his running mate Sarah Palin support an as a freelance writer and a press officer emissions portfolios, and would re- immediate move to offshore drilling for oil. at the United Nations. duce the amount of offsets allowed Campaign photo. www.APPAnet.org OCTOBER 2008 35 http://www.APPAnet.org

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Public Power - October 2008

Public Power - October 2008 Contents Perspective 10 Questions The Future of Fuels in a Carbon-Constrained World An Energy Revolution Energy Policy in 2009 and Beyond A Green Reincarnation Beyond the Green Bandwagon Reliability Green Energy Community Broadband Customer Service Hometown Connections Human Resources Parting Shot

Public Power - October 2008

For optimal viewing of this digital publication, please enable JavaScript and then refresh the page. If you would like to try to load the digital publication without using Flash Player detection, please click here.