Okay.
Nader stays in the comparison until he drops below 5% in another poll.
He deserves to stick around, as he admitted that people who are afraid of Bush's re-election should vote for Kerry.
So, here's to you, Mr. Nader. Energy policy.
Please give suggestions for the next installment.
Nader -
Will push for a new clean energy policy.
No subsidies for oil corporations.
No subsidies for nuclear power, for electric companies, or for coal mining.
This could result in some rural regions temporarily being without power.
Introduce a new policy that is "efficient, sustainable and environmentally friendly."
Invest Federal funds into wind, solar, auto efficiency, home energy efficiency, and business energy efficiency.
The end aim is to end our dependency on nuclear, oil, and coal power. Or to end its use altogether. No timetable.
A new clean energy paradigm means "more jobs, more efficiency, greater security, environmental protection and increased health." No numbers.
Kerry -
Begin the end of foreign energy dependence.
Begin the pursuit of cleaner renewable energy.
Get us off Middle East oil by 2020 (a little slow, but ... it's a timetable).
Invest Federal funds into the development and deployment of clean energy technologies that will make us more efficient and allow us to capitalize on domestic and renewable sources of energy. Create a renewable energy trust fund to invest in the development of renewable energy will reduce our oil dependence by more than 2 million barrels of oil a day - about the same amount we import from the Persian Gulf.
The Energy Security and Conservation Trust Fund will be funded by existing oil and gas royalty revenues, and dedicated to accelerating the commercialization of technologies -- such as the manufacture of more efficient cars and trucks, the development of biofuels, and the creation of a hydrogen-based energy economy -- that will reduce America's dangerous dependence on oil. Kerry's plan will create 500,000 new jobs over the next decade and work toward producing 20 percent of US energy from renewable fuels by 2020.
Americans should drive the cars, SUVs, minivans and trucks of their choice, but that these vehicles can be safer, more efficient and affordable. Kerry believes that we should increase our fuel economy standards to 36 miles per gallon by 2015 and will also provide tax incentives for consumers to buy the vehicles they want and incentives for manufacturers to convert factories to build the more efficient vehicles of the future.
In addition, he will increase subsidies for mass transit, pedestrian thoroughfares, and bike traffic, to help people reduce car use. My wife and I would rather have this than Nader's car safety plan alone. Because with John Kerry, you can have car safety AND a cleaner lifestyle AWAY from that car.
Hydrogen has great promise as a clean, domestic, and reliable energy source for the future. It has the potential to power our cars at 100 miles per gallon without pollution and, with the right technology, can be produced efficiently from natural gas and coal. Eventually, John Kerry believes that we can build a truly clean and secure economy based on hydrogen -- a clean fuel that we can eventually get entirely from renewable sources from our farms, the wind, solar energy, hydropower and geothermal sources.
So, he would start with gas-coal hydrogen and move to renewable hydrogen. Where is the hydrogen in Nader's plan? Well, you can't start developing it under Nader until after the renewable infrastructure is in place.
Expand the North American supply of Natural Gas.
There have been abuses in the market for natural gas - such as alleged manipulation of capacity in the western markets, inaccurate filing of trade data - that ultimately have an adverse effect on the prices consumers pay. Kerry will make sure that any abuses are dealt with effectively and prevented from reoccurring. This will require the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to be more diligent and aggressive in pursuing anti-competitiveness practices.
Reach out and develop a long-term partnership with our immediate neighbors and friends Canada and Mexico to develop and expand North America's robust energy supplies. By looking beyond our borders, as well as to our nation's huge stranded gas supplies on the North Slope of Alaska, we have the potential to secure long-term energy supplies that help meet our demand for energy. For example, Canada has huge stranded natural gas capacity that has no way to reach major markets, and Mexico likewise lacks an adequate energy infrastructure to allow it to tie into major North American energy markets. Presidential leadership must be interjected into this equation, and John Kerry would make this a priority issue with our North American neighbors.
There are 35 trillion cubic feet of known natural gas reserves on the North Slope of Alaska that have no way to get to markets in the lower 48 states. John Kerry believes that we must build the Alaska pipeline to expand natural gas as a resource and provide important jobs for American workers. As President, John Kerry would bring together the States, Native Americans, producers, pipeline companies, Canada and other interested parties to make this a domestic priority, including providing appropriate regulatory streamlining to get this project built.
Encouraging Development in the Gulf of Mexico. John Kerry supports developing natural gas sources in the Gulf of Mexico on areas already open for drilling. He supports temporary incentives that encourage development in this area.
We need a domestic pipeline infrastructure that is capable of delivering natural gas where it is needed, when it is needed, in a safe and reliable manner. For example, the lack of pipeline infrastructure may be impeding development of natural gas on public and private lands on the eastern front of the Rocky Mountains, which are believed to hold very significant reserves of natural gas. Over 60 percent of the natural gas reserves in this region are available for lease under standard lease terms, according to a recent government report. John Kerry's plan would ensure that we develop needed pipeline infrastructure and supplies in appropriate areas in an environmentally sound and safe manner.
Finally, there are ways in which we can improve our ability to import natural gas from reliable foreign sources. The current infrastructure for importing natural gas from overseas is limited as the natural gas must be liquefied at super cold temperatures for shipping overseas and returned to gas form before it can be put in the domestic pipeline system. There are currently only four terminals in the U.S. where liquefied natural gas is delivered and these facilities often raise challenging local issues. John Kerry would support new technologies under development to address some of the local concerns about this transportation system, including development of ship-based regasification systems that would allow the LNG to be regasified offshore and moved to shore by connecting to underwater pipelines.
Advanced technologies, commercially available today, can dramatically increase the efficiency of natural gas use for power generation and end use applications, including heating and cooling. For example, combined heat and power systems which provide both electric and thermal energy to commercial and industrial users can achieve efficiencies greater than 70%, compared with power plants that operate often at half that level. And gas-fired appliances available today can substantially cut homeowners natural gas bills which may hit record levels this winter.
Advance energy efficient technologies - heating, lighting and manufacturing - and fund their implementation. Government should promote the efficient use of energy in the places that we work and live. Kerry will cut the Government's energy bill 20 percent by 2020 - saving the Federal government $8 billion over the next ten years - and will challenge municipalities, corporations, universities, small businesses, and hospitals to do the same. He will also provide tax credits for energy-efficient buildings and homes. Nader only wants the homes and businesses to be efficient ... maybe he feels the same way about government efficiency as he does about activist unions ... non-profits can't afford to be responsible.
Save money through targeted policies to improve the management of energy and public resources. Modernize the sale of mineral rights on public land by ending the sale of public land rights at $5 per acre and save $519 million over five years. Cut electricity in the Federal government would save $8 billion over the next ten years. Close the loophole that allows small-business owners to deduct $100,000 for luxury sport-utility vehicles through a law meant to benefit farmers and others from being penalized by the luxury tax when they purchase pickup trucks and tractors.
Lower the four leading power plant emissions - nitrogen oxide, sulfur dioxide, mercury, and carbon dioxide. Help the coal industry and the communities that support it be part of America's energy future. Develop and implement real cleaner coal technology. John Kerry believes we must invest $10 billion over the next decade - a five-fold increase - to help transition from the current generation of older and dirtier coal plants to cleaner and more advanced coal-fired power plants Kerry believes we must also invest in new research that can make sure clean coal is a major contributor in meeting future energy needs, including playing an important part in the production of hydrogen. This approach will be good for the environment and public health and will assure coal workers and their families are an important part of the next generation of energy technology for our nation.
Bush -
Hydrogen cars by 2020. No plan to do so, other than encouraging auto makers to do so. This hasn't worked too well so far.
Continue to subsidize oil and coal with no strings attached, and to suck up to petrofascist regimes worldwide.