By Sheril Kirshenbaum at Next Generation of Energy Ideas

Okay ladies and gentlemen…………. Let’s get ready to rumble! Two candidates. Two possible administrations. Energy policy. Doesn’t get much more relevant than that.

Both are Senators who say they’d like to reduce U.S. reliance on foreign oil, fight global warming, and cap greenhouse gas emissions with increased focus on nuclear power. What partisan politics? Time to dig a little deeper…

Well let’s start with Barack Obama. It’s easier that way considering there not much conjecture involved. Obama recently answered 14 questions posed by ScienceDebate2008 (a group where I am proud to sit on the steering committee) laying out his perspectives on arguably the most important decisions we face globally–including energy:

3. Energy. Many policymakers and scientists say energy security and sustainability are major problems facing the United States this century. What policies would you support to meet demand for energy while ensuring an economically and environmentally sustainable future?

America’s challenges in providing secure, affordable energy while addressing climate change mean that we must make much more efficient use of energy and begin to rely on new energy sources that eliminate or greatly reduce greenhouse gas emissions. My programs focus both on a greatly expanded program of federally funded energy research and development and on policies designed to speed the adoption of innovative energy technologies and stimulate private innovation.

First, I have proposed programs that, taken together, will increase federal investment in the clean energy research, development, and deployment by $150 billion over ten years.

(read details outlined below the fold)

Second, it is essential that we create a strong, predictable market for energy innovations with concrete goals that speed introduction of innovative products and provide a strong incentive for private R&D investment in energy technologies. I will also work closely with utilities to introduce a digital smart grid that can optimize the overall efficiency of the nation’s electric utility system, by managing demand and making effective use of renewable energy and energy storage.I will also encourage communities around the nation to design and build sustainable communities that cut energy use with walkable community designs and expanded investment in mass transit.

And now onto Senator McCain–who hasn’t responded to ScienceDebate2008 yet–so I’ll summarize:

McCain isn’t big on developing technologies to reduce emissions or alternatives to fossil fuels arguing “unintended consequences” can result from wrongheaded interference in the marketplace. He’s been reluctant to support government incentives such as tax credits for wind and solar energy and supports Yucca Mountain as a nuclear storage site. McCain wants to extend incentives for nuclear development and aims for a 60% reduction of emissions from 1990 levels by the mid century. He also supports a temporary suspension of the federal gasoline tax and is proponent of offshore oil drilling.

Reporters have to maintain objectivity. Bloggers do not. Generally I’m nonpartisan and there are members and candidates on both sides of the ticket I support. However, I do have very strong opinions on that last point. As Craig McClain rightly explains:

The current supply of drilling ships will put a seven year hiatus on any offshore oil making it to the market. Second, our offshore oil reserves are insufficient to meet our consumption for more than a handful of years. These are not my opinions, not a liberal or conservative view, but rather fact. X divided by Y equals Z. It’s math.

Exactly, and this plan sounds like fuzzy math. Look folks, a U.S. energy plan that addresses supply rather than demand will not work.

So presently, this blogger has developed a more favorable view of Obama’s intentions. However, perhaps McCain will elaborate more when he provides a response to ScienceDebate2008. But I’m not holding my breath.

Senator Barack Obama has outlined he will work to support research that will cover:

- Basic research to develop alternative fuels and chemicals;- Equipment and designs that can greatly reduce energy use in residential and commercial buildings - both new and existing;

- New vehicle technologies capable of significantly reducing our oil consumption;

- Advanced energy storage and transmission that would greatly help the economics of new electric-generating technologies and plug-in hybrids;

- Technologies for capturing and sequestering greenhouse gases produced by coal plants; and

- A new generation of nuclear electric technologies that address cost, safety, waste disposal, and proliferation risks.

Concrete goals include:

- Increasing new building efficiency by 50 percent and existing building efficiency by 25 percent over the next decade, and taking other steps that will reduce the energy intensity of our economy 50 percent by 2030;

- Increasing fuel economy standards 4 percent per year and providing loan guarantees for domestic auto plants and parts manufacturers to build new fuel- efficient cars domestically;

- Extending the Production Tax Credit for five years and creating a federal Renewable Portfolio Standard that will require that 10 percent of American electricity be derived from renewable sources by 2012, and 25 percent by 2025; and

- Ensuring that regulations and incentives in all federal agencies support the national energy and environmental goals in ways that encourage innovation and ingenuity.