The Political Climate: an ongoing commentary on the NH Primary and Climate Change

A series of events this week provided interesting insight into how climate and energy issues might play out in the general election next fall when Republican nominee John McCain will face either Barack Obama or Hillary Clinton.  McCain spent six months before the New Hampshire primary highlighting his environmental credentials in comparison to the weaker records of his Republican competition. 

For first time in the campaign, McCain is now directly challenging the Democratic candidates on their climate commitments and highlighting his record in the Senate.  At a town hall in California yesterday, The Washington Post blog The Trail reported that when asked to distinguish himself from the Democrats on climate change, McCain stated:

“I don’t know what their position is because I haven’t seen them show any particular commitment in the U.S. Senate or elsewhere…I have proposed legislation and fought for amendments.”

If McCain continues to make this argument through the general election climate change will surely be covered by the media and play a role in the election.

Interestingly, John McCain spent much of last week meeting with European leaders and discussing global problems such as climate change while the two Democratic candidates slogged it out in West Virginia talking up “clean coal” to scrounge up votes in the coal rich state.

In an op-ed in the UK’s Financial Times titled “America must be a good role model,” McCain promised that the United States would work with all European countries to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and combat global climate change. 

McCain writes:

“I have introduced legislation that would require a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions, but that is just a start. We need a successor to Kyoto, a cap-and-trade system that delivers the necessary environmental impact in an economically responsible manner. New technologies hold great promise. We need to unleash the power and innovation of the marketplace in order to meet our environmental challenges. Right now safe, climate-friendly nuclear energy is a critical way both to improve the quality of our air and to reduce our dependence on foreign energy sources.”

Clinton’s statements on West Virginia Public Radio:

“I am concerned about it for all the reasons people state, but I think it’s a difficult question because of the conflict between the economic and environmental trade-off that you have here.”

Obama on the stump in West Virginia:

“We can create up to 5 million new green jobs … including new clean coal jobs.”

The statements coming from the Clinton and Obama camps out of West Virginia have some environmentalists concerned.  If you need proof, just read the comments on the grist stories.  It is important to remember that McCain has been generally supportive of expanding and investing in clean coal technology throughout the campaign as well.

John McCain enjoys a position in the election right now where many of his statements go unchallenged by either of the Democratic candidates.  In the fall it will be interesting to see how the Democrats eventually counterpunch McCain’s charge that neither has demonstrated any “particular commitments” to climate change.

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Mac is back???  He just couldn’t stay away.  The Straight Talk Express rolled back to The Granite State for a “Thank you New Hampshire” Town Hall this afternoon.  John McCain was met by a crowd of angry anti-war protesters outside followed by a standing ovation inside the historic Exeter Town Hall that brought the Senator close to tears.

Connecticut Senator Joe Lieberman, McCain’s “favorite Democrat,” joined McCain on stage and acknowledged a ‘Stop Global Warming’ sign toting crowd member during his introduction.

McCain then took the stage and, as he always does in this state, he devoted a good chunk of his stump speech to energy and environmental issues.  McCain spoke about the environmental, national security, and economic problems that surround our current climate and energy woes.

During Q&A, an audience member thanked Senator McCain for addressing climate change during his speech and then asked:

“If you are elected president, you will have a lot to think about before stepping foot inside the Whitehouse.  Whether appointing a cabinet, creating a budget, and working with other nations, how will climate change be a part of these decisions?”

McCain emphatically responded with an important promise: 

“I promise that I will make it a top priority in my campaign.  I promise you I will make climate change a top priority in my administration.” 

He then listed a mixed bag of renewable and non-renewable energy “solutions” and closed with his favorite climate line:  “My friends, suppose I am wrong about climate change, and I encourage that debate to continue, but we push forward with renewable technologies which help the economy.  All that we will have done is leave our children a better and cleaner planet.  But now suppose I am right that climate change is occurring, and we do nothing.  What kind of a planet have we left for our children then?”

Concerned citizens showed up at the State House last night to share their energy priorities and ideas with the Governor’s Climate Change Task Force.  After listening to two brief presentations from DES about NH specific climate change indicators, projected impacts and task force goals, NH citizens talked back and gave the task force an earful, including:

- Transition to renewable energy
- More public transportation
- More park and rides
- More walk-able communities
- Incentives for solar panels, wind turbines, hybrid cars etc.
- Increased access to alternative fuels
- Education via schooling and public campaigns
- Increased “green jobs”
- Better access to recycling programs
- Citizen involvement!

How the task force organizes all these suggestions is a mystery to me.  Read the article in today’s Concord Monitor for more details on the hearing or check out the Task Force homepage for more information.

I ran into a new employee for the Coal Industry last night.   For nine day’s worth of work, this individual is going to be paid $3,000 to try and convince Ohio citizens that coal is “clean” and a good choice for our energy future.  Even though the shyster-in-training seemed to be aware that the campaign is misleading American voters, he couldn’t refuse the hefty paycheck.  (Maybe his employers know the job is heavy lifting … even in Ohio.)

Check out this blog or this Washington Post article for more information about the Coal Industry’s astroturf campaign. 

Well, WMUR television finally steps to the plate with a global warming story today.   It is sad, but believable that the station would waste 1-2 minuts of airtime on this tripe. 

 Too bad all the candidates are gone; I imagine this would be the only way Scott Spradling would engage a candidate on TV on the global warming issue.  What a maroon.  Sure, they’re fair and balanced because the station did FINALLY- after months of ignoring requests -  put climate change into the mix of candidate comparisons. 

He’s engaged:   NH Governor Lynch included climate change in his remarks today in his State of the State address:

Left unchecked, global climate change will dramatically change our environment in New Hampshire. That’s why I’ve created a Climate Change Task Force to develop a comprehensive strategy for continuing to address this critical issue. In addition, New Hampshire has joined nine other states, stretching from Maine to Delaware, to develop the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative, or RGGI, to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from power plants, a leading cause of climate change.  We must work together to develop the best possible legislation for New Hampshire. But we must also make sure New Hampshire does not get left behind. The rest of the Northeast is already implementing RGGI. According to the University of New Hampshire, if we do not join RGGI, New Hampshire will see higher costs and job losses. By joining RGGI, and investing its proceeds in energy efficiency, New Hampshire ratepayers will save money and our state will add jobs. That’s why we must join together to pass the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative this year.—————–> Note that the Task Force is well-balanced, and includes no fewer than five members of the Carbon Coalition Steering Committee. The Task Force met for the first time January 18, and is charged with delivering recommendations for a comprehensive state plan to the Governor in September 2008.  Would that be before or after the state primary election?

—————–> Note that the Task Force is well-balanced, and no fewer than members of the . The Task Force met for the first time January 18, and is charged with delivering recommendations for a comprehensive state plan to the Governor in September 2008.  Would that be before or after the state primary election?