Now that we know the two folks who will be vying for the vice presidency, let’s do a tiny bit of analysis on who is a stronger environmental technology candidate.
Joe Biden: Strong supporter of “energy independence” with a focus on biofuels. And, if Obama’s speech at the DNC was any indication, these will be “second generation” biofuels. I.E. not food-based.
In general Joe has a good voting record with the League of Conservation Voters (who keeps tabs on these things) with an over all score of 83 out of 100. During his own run for president, Biden’s emissions policy closely matched Obama, calling for an 80 percent reduction over 1990 levels by 2050.
A few pertinent Biden quotes include:
If I could wave a wand, and the Lord stated I could solve one problem, I would solve the energy crisis. That’s the single most consequential problem we have the ability to solve.
I believe that all new coal-fired power plants should be built with carbon capture and sequestration capacity.
Sarah Palin: Doesn’t have a record at all with the LCV, since she’s been in politics for only a few years. But despite being a hunter and angler (the only reasons to be a Republican conservationist these days) she’s pro mining, pro drilling, pro pipeline and pro large oil. And, of course, there was that time that she sued the government of the United States for listing the polar bear as an endangered species.
The most pertinent quote I could find from her on clean technology was:
Alternative-energy solutions are far from imminent and would require more than 10 years to develop.
OK, so this actually turns out not to be a very interesting comparison. McCain and Obama certainly both have more interesting things to state about green technology, and it’s clear that the environment didn’t play much of a part in either of these VP decisions.
If there’s any real clear picture here, it’s that Obama wanted a foreign policy guy, and McCain wanted a young “agent of change.” Though what that change precisely is, I’m quite frightened to consider.
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