Drilling, energy efficiency, and nuclear power, where do the candidates stand? — week of 03 August 2008

Drill for oil offshore, drill for oil in Alaska’s nature reserves, inflate car tires to the proper pressure, build more nuclear power plants, use clean coal, and tap the US oil reserves. That more or less covers the positions of both presidential candidates as the quest for the White House moved into the first days of August. The week was filled with energy plans from both sides.

Andrew Revkin, in his “annotated” version of Barack Obama’s August 4 energy speech in the New York Times, provided excellent context and commentary on the Democrat’s call to develop alternative, renewable sources of energy, and ending US addiction to foreign oil. “Obama’s prime focus (in the speech) was a broad and sustained push for new energy technologies that could keep the country moving while sharply cutting petroleum use and carbon dioxide emissions,” Revkin wrote. “Getting there – given the hurdles in Congress, gaps in technology, and inertia built into century-old transportation and energy systems – will be a monumental task, but Obama insisted he can do the job.”

Revkin later notes that, “In essence, each candidate, and [former vice president] Al Gore, has recognized that human-caused climate change, on its own, is unlikely to capture Americans’ attention and must be bundled in a three-pronged package, with energy, security and national security.”

Nuclear Power

How the US will generate electricity is where Obama and John McCain diverge, says the Associated Press. McCain, touring the Enrico Fermi Nuclear Plant in Michigan, said, “I have proposed a plan to build additional nuclear plants [McCain proposes building 45 new nuclear plants by 2030]. That means new jobs, and that means new energy. If we want to enable the technologies of tomorrow like plug-in electric cars, we need electricity to plug into.”

In an unfortunate choice of words, McCain said that if the US Navy could use nuclear reactors for 50 years without an incident, then they would be safe enough to use for civil power generation. Nearly simultaneous with McCain’s press conference, the US Navy publicly admitted that a nuclear-powered submarine had been leaking radioactive water for the last two years.

Obama has been much less enthusiastic about nuclear power, but as McCain was preparing to leave Michigan for the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally in South Dakota, an Obama spokesman came forward and said the Democrat “supports safe and secure nuclear energy.” The spokesman, Bill Burton, noted in a statement that, “It is unlikely that we can meet our aggressive climate goals if we eliminate nuclear power as an option. However, before an expansion of nuclear power is considered, Obama thinks key issues must be addressed including: security of nuclear fuel and waste, waste storage, and proliferation.”

One of the most comprehensive studies by scientists of the role nuclear power needs to play in the US energy future was done at MIT and concludes that nuclear power will be critical as the “green” carbon-free power source of a world threatened by global warming.

Twelve new reactors have been proposed by electrical utilities to start construction over the next five years. Yucca Mountain, the proposed home for storing nuclear reactor waste for the next few thousand years, is decades behind schedule. The decision regarding how long utilities will have to look after existing nuclear waste and who is liable to pay for looking after it is currently tied up in the federal court system. It will only be a matter of time before Yucca Mountain becomes a significant issue in the election, as Nevada is now considered to be a ”swing” state.

Oil Issues

On Monday Obama, in an apparent change of mind, said the US needs to tap the nation’s strategic oil reserve. He has opposed tapping the reserve in the past, but a campaign spokeswoman said he has reconsidered because he “recognizes that Americans are suffering.” The oil reserve is capable of releasing about 4 million barrels of oil per day onto the oil futures market.

On offshore drilling, both candidates leaned toward “compromise.” Obama said he would consider supporting broad energy legislation that would permit some offshore oil drilling, something he has opposed in the past. A McCain spokesman said he might also support the compromise legislation. The proposed legalization is connected to a plan released earlier this week by a group of Democratic and Republican senators known as “The Gang of Ten.”

“My interest is in making sure we’ve got the kind of comprehensive energy policy that can bring down gas prices,” Obama told a reporter. “If, in order to get that passed, we have to compromise in terms of a careful, well thought-out drilling strategy that was carefully circumscribed to avoid significant environmental damage – I don’t want to be so rigid that we can’t get something done.”

McCain earlier dropped his opposition to offshore drilling because of soaring gas prices.

And the two sides continued to expend a lot of energy attacking each other over video advertisements. Most of the controversy was over a McCain ad that showed Britney Spears, Paris Hilton, and then Obama. The video was about energy, but the message was that Obama is just a celebrity, not a leader. The Columbia Journalism Review reported the press coverage as “Celebrity status and race distract from campaign ads’ real message: energy and the economy.”

A flat tire

Back on the campaign trail, tire pressure quickly became the main talking point between Democrats and Republicans over the rest of the week. Obama noted in a speech that the US could save as much as 3 percent of the oil it consumes if drivers would simply inflate their car tires to the proper pressure.

Republicans, especially the right-wing radio talk shows, jumped all over the statement, and soon Republican activists were handing out “Obama energy plan” tire gauges. The Obama camp responded by noting that everyone from Senator Joe Lieberman (I-CT), a McCain supporter, to California governor Arnold Schwarzenegger (R) , to the Department of Energy and NASCAR have encouraged Americans to keep their tires inflated properly to save energy. “It’s like these guys take pride in being ignorant,” Obama said of the Republicans who were making fun of him.

Obama directly tried to link McCain to the energy policies of the Bush administration, saying that with McCain as president the US could expect "four more years of oil companies calling the shots."

The technology sector & NASA

National Public Radio did segments on the “technology outlook” of each candidate. Obama is often seen using his cell phone or Blackberry, while McCain rarely uses e-mail or the internet. Obama wants a cabinet-level “chief technology officer.” McCain noted that the president doesn’t invent anything, but does have the responsibility to create the economic and social conditions that allow technology to thrive.

And finally, Lockheed Martin Corp, a major contractor for servicing NASA’s space shuttle, announced the first 200 layoffs of what will be more than 4000 over the coming years as the space shuttle program is wound down, just as Obama was visiting Florida’s “Space Coast.” Obama told supporters that he no longer favors slashing NASA’s budget, noting that the US “cannot cede our leadership in space.”

Jim Dawson