Candidates' Debate On Energy Heats Up

Mon. August 04, 2008; Posted: 04:05 PM

(RTTNews) - With gas prices a constant reminder to Americans that the era of easy, cheap energy is drawing to a close, Presidential candidates are increasingly dedicating their efforts to energy. Presidential hopeful Barack Obama celebrated his 47th birthday Monday by focusing on energy, announcing a detailed energy plan aimed at eliminating the need for oil from the Middle East within 10 years.

He also received criticism from rival John McCain's campaign over a suggestion that Americans check their tire pressure in order to maximize fuel efficiency.

In a speech in Lansing, Michigan, Obama outlined three major proposals that he would undertake as President. The Illinois Senator made no bones about the need for alternative energy, calling the U.S. need for foreign oil "one of the most dangerous and urgent threats this nation has ever faced."

"Breaking our oil addiction is one of the greatest challenges our generation will ever face," he said. "It will take nothing less than a complete transformation of our economy," he said.

There are three main tenants to Obama's energy plan aimed at eliminating the need for Middle East oil within a decade. They include a $1,000 energy rebate to consumers facing higher energy costs taken from oil companies via a windfall profit tax.

The Democratic presidential candidate also wants to offer tax credits for fuel efficient vehicles, create 5 million "green" jobs, and push for a reduction in demand for electricity by 15 percent.

Obama mentioned rival John McCain in his speech.

"You won't hear me say this too often, but I couldn't agree more with the explanation that Sen. McCain offered a few weeks ago. He said, 'Our dangerous dependence on foreign oil has been 30 years in the making, and was caused by the failure of politicians in Washington to think long-term about the future of the country,'" Obama said.

"What Sen. McCain neglected to mention was that during those 30 years, he was in Washington for 26 of them. And in all that time, he did little to reduce our dependence on foreign oil," Obama added

How far Obama is willing to go to address energy concerns remains to be seen, although he has suggested that he would be willing to explore offshore drilling, something many Democrats in Congress remain opposed to. Obama has hinted he would support drilling providing it be done in an environmentally friendly way and with bipartisan support.

In addition, Obama said that the strains that high gas prices are placing on Americans warrant tapping into the strategic petroleum reserve. Specifically, he suggested replacing the light, sweet crude that's extracted with heavy, sour crude.

"We simply cannot pretend, as Senator McCain does, that we can drill our way out of this problem," Obama said Monday.

He outlined a compromise being floated on Capitol Hill that promotes long-term solutions, but involves lifting the offshore drilling ban,

The compromise "includes a limited amount of new offshore drilling, and while I still don't believe that's a particularly meaningful short-term or long-term solution, I am willing to consider it if it's necessary to actually pass a comprehensive plan," Obama said.

McCain responded in Pennsylvania, continuing to push for offshore drilling. "Anybody who says that we can achieve energy independence without using and increasing these existing energy resources either doesn't have the experience to understand the challenge that we face or isn't giving the American people some straight talk," he said. The tenor of the Presidential campaign has been increasingly negatives. A suggestion by Obama that Americans save money and conserve gasoline by ensuring that their tires are properly inflated is now the butt of a joke from McCain's presidential campaign.

Monday morning, the McCain campaign distributed tire pressure gauges to reporters on site and sent an e-mail to supporters offering them an "Obama Energy Plan" tire pressure gauge in exchange for a $25 donation.

However, keeping tires properly inflated can improve gas mileage by around 3.3 percent, resulting in savings of up to $0.12 per gallon, according to the government's website www.fueleconomy.gov.

In the McCain campaign's letter to supporters, campaign manager Rick Davis mocked the proposal.

"Today, I'm asking for your help in putting Senator Obama's 'tire gauge' energy policy to the test. With an immediate donation of $25 or more, we will send you an "Obama Energy Plan" tire pressure gauge," he wrote. "Will simply inflating your tires reduce the financial burden of high gas prices on your wallet?"

John McCain's proposal during the primary for a "gas tax holiday" from Memorial Day to Labor Day was aimed at giving Americans a small break from record gasoline prices that have led many to stay home instead of hitting the roads during the summer driving season. That proposal would have eliminated the federal gasoline tax of $0.184 cents per gallon nationwide.

However, the proposed gas tax holiday was widely criticized by economists, who noted that the actual savings would likely translate to far less than $0.184 per gallon, and that it would take money out of the federal infrastructure repair fund.

Colorado-based economist Philip Verleger called the proposal a "bad idea" when it was first discussed in April.

"What we need to do is send consumer a signal that prices are high and are going higher and they need to plan and conserve," Verleger said in an interview with RTT News. "In the extreme, the people who really benefit this will be Osama bin Laden and the terrorists."

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