| Candidate |
1. Oppose any and all efforts to preempt state sovereignty on air pollution and global warming? States have long been the laboratories for innovative environmental policies. We need to protect the ability of states to lead. California has already chosen to go further than any existing federal policy. |
2. Support an economy-wide cap on greenhouse gas emissions at 1990 levels by 2020 and an 80% reduction in emissions by 2050? This is the essence of California’s landmark AB 32. The Global Warming Solutions Act. It is imperative that any federal policy also bases both its short-term and the long-term reduction targets on the dictates of science. |
3. Support an all out federal/state cooperative effort to rapidly expand energy efficiency and renewable energy investments as an essential component of economic recovery efforts? |
4. Support a program to impose maximum technologically feasible, cost-effective controls on ships, trains, and trucks to reduce air pollution that causes global warming and accelerates melting of polar ice caps? These major sources are currently not subject to federal climate programs. |
Hillary Clinton
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"I strongly support California and other states' efforts to address global warming, and when I am President, I will partner with these states instead of standing in their way. I find it unacceptable and irresponsible that the Bush administration has stood in the way of states that want to take aggressive measures to confront this pressing problem.
"I was proud to support California Senators Dianne Feinstein and Barbara Boxer's effort to overturn the Environmental Protection Agency's denial of California's Clean Air Act waiver. Their bill would give California—and many other states—the authority to adopt and enforce tailpipe emissions reductions. It is outrageous that the Bush administration chose to block the efforts of states that want to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from vehicles. The EPA's decision to flatly reject the Clean Air Act waiver sought by these states to reduce greenhouse gas emissions is wrong on legal and policy grounds.
"Global warming is one of the biggest challenges we have faced in generations. It is a challenge to our economy, to our security, to our health, and to our planet. It threatens our very way of life. As President, I will lead the way—not stand in the way—in solving this problem with an aggressive agenda that involves every single American." |
"Yes. Reducing greenhouse gas emissions to 1990 levels by 2020 and to 80 percent below 1990 levels by 2050—the level necessary to avoid the most dire consequences of global warming—is a fundamental cornerstone of my energy plan. In addition to reducing greenhouse gas emissions to 80 percent below 1990 levels by 2050, I have two other big goals to address global warming: I will cut foreign oil imports by two-thirds from projected levels by 2030, and I will transform our carbon-based economy into an efficient green economy.
"I have a comprehensive plan to achieve these goals that includes maximizing our energy efficiency, creating market mechanisms to efficiently reduce greenhouse gas emissions by capping and auctioning off 100 percent of allowances, and promoting renewable, carbon-free energy sources. I will also create a Strategic Energy Fund that will jumpstart $50 billion over 10 years into research, development, and deployment of renewable energy, energy efficiency, clean coal technology, ethanol, and other homegrown biofuels; I will require oil companies to invest more in renewable energy technology or pay into the fund. And I will create a National Energy Council, modeled on the National Economic Council and the National Security Council, that will bring together disparate agencies in the federal government in order to drive toward achieving the goal of 80 percent reduction of global warming pollution by 2050. The National Energy Council would be headed by a National Energy Advisor who reports directly to the President.
"My plan is based on the idea of shared responsibility. That's why my plan calls for both the public and private sectors—the government, oil companies, utilities, auto companies, businesses, and individuals—to take part in addressing global warming and moving our country toward energy independence. I believe that all Americans must do their part in solving this problem.
"And because global warming is a global problem, it will need a global solution. I will act to restore U.S. leadership in the global warming arena by playing an active role in developing a new deal to replace the Kyoto treaty, which expires in 2012. I will engage in high-level meetings with world leaders every three months if that's what it will take to hammer out a new agreement. I want to have a new pact in 2009. I will also invite the G8 nations and key developing countries to join the United States in establishing an 'E8.' This group would be comprised of the world's major carbon-emitting nations and would hold an annual summit devoted to international ecological and resource issues—global warming foremost among them." |
"I will ensure that federal, state, and local governments work together to improve energy efficiency and invest in renewable energy. I have put forth several ideas in my plan. First, I will fundamentally reshape how utility companies do business—transitioning from outdated systems that reward excess energy production to market-based approaches that reward efficiency, distributed generation, and conservation. To put this process in motion, I will set binding energy efficiency targets for utilities at the national level and then I will encourage states to establish rate rules for utilities that both decouple electricity sales from utility profits and enable utilities to profit from investments in energy efficiency.
"Second, I believe that we need to move aggressively toward a smart grid—a web-enabled, digitally controlled, intelligent power delivery system that efficiently distributes electricity and protects against blackouts, brown-outs, and excess energy use. With smarter two-way communications, utilities and consumers will have more control over consumption and save money. I will move to realize the potential of the smart grid technology by funding 10 'Smart Grid Cities.' These public-private partnerships between states, cities, utilities, automakers, and battery makers will deploy smart grid technology and plug-in hybrid vehicles on a large scale, as well as encourage other technological options to discourage consumption during peak cost periods like time of use meters and pricing, real time demand response, visual price meters, and 'prepaid' service models.
"Third, I will create a 'Green Building Fund,' through which the federal government will allocate $1 billion annually to states to make grants or low-interest loans to improve energy efficiency in public buildings. To be eligible for funding, projects would need to meet tough energy efficiency standards. The cost of this program will be split between the federal government, states, and localities. The fund will create more than 100,000 new 'green collar jobs.'
"I will also set a goal of reducing electricity demand by 20 percent from projected levels by 2020 and flattening demand for natural gas. And I will take action to promote renewable electricity. I will establish a Renewable Electricity Standard to require that 25 percent of our electricity comes from renewable sources by 2025. To spur increased production of ethanol and other renewable fuels, I will raise the national renewable fuels goal from the current level of 7.5 billion gallon by 2012 to 36 billion gallons annually by 2022 and to 60 billion gallons by 2030." |
"I have a plan to reduce global warming pollution 80 percent below 1990 levels by 2050, and ships, trains, and trucks will all be subject to that system and those requirements. In addition, in my energy plan, I have set a goal to raise fleet-wide fuel economy standards to 40 miles per gallon in 2020 and 55 miles per gallon in 2030 in order to improve the efficiency of our cars and trucks. By 2030, these tough CAFE standards will reduce carbon dioxide emissions by more than 730 million metric tons. I will also accelerate the production of 'plug-in' hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs). A recent study showed that a vehicle powered by electricity releases one-third less global warming pollution than a gasoline-powered vehicle. I will invest $2 billion in research and development to reduce the cost and increase the longevity and durability of batteries; offer consumers tax credits of up to $10,000 for purchasing a plug-in hybrid; and add 100,000 PHEVs to the federal fleet by 2015. I will also continue my work to reduce pollution from school buses and other diesel-powered vehicles. I have secured millions of dollars in funding for the Clean Bus USA Program, through which the EPA provides grants to school districts to help pay to retrofit old buses or purchase new ones to reduce pollution from school buses.
"And I will make major investments in public transportation. For every passenger mile traveled, public transportation produces only a fraction of the harmful pollution of private vehicles: only 5 percent as much carbon monoxide, less than 8 percent as many volatile organic compounds, and nearly half as much carbon dioxide and nitrogen oxides. I will increase federal funding for public transit—including buses, light rail and subways—by $1.5 billion per year. I will also link federal public transit funds to local land use policies that encourage residential developments that maximize public transit usage and discourage sprawl. And I will invest an additional $1 billion in intercity passenger rail, which is an environmentally efficient alternative to highway driving and short flights. It relieves congestion on roads and airports, reduces the emission of automotive pollutants, and it stimulates economic growth by linking metropolitan areas." |
