Interviews during 2017-2019: on Energy & Oil


Jo Jorgensen: No subsidies for energy, withdraw Paris Climate Accords

Q: Limit greenhouse gases or fund renewable energy?

Jo Jorgensen: No "Remove subsidies on all forms of energy production." Favors nuclear energy development and expanded offshore drilling. Withdraw from Paris Climate Accords.

Howie Hawkins: Yes. Supports a Green New Deal to achieve zero-to-negative greenhouse gas emissions and 100% clean energy by 2030.

Donald Trump: Climate scientists have "political agenda" risking "millions of jobs." Cut renewables funding. Withdraw US from Paris Agreement.

Source: CampusElect on 2020 presidential hopefuls Aug 30, 2020

Howie Hawkins: End nuclear power, offshore drilling, & fracking

Source: Green Party Platform adopted by 2020 presidential hopeful Jul 12, 2020

Howie Hawkins: Free mass transit; reduce energy use 50%

The Green Party supports a transportation policy that emphasizes the use of mass transit and alternatives to the automobile and truck for transport. We call for major public investment in mass transportation, so that such systems are cheap or free to the public and are safe, accessible, and easily understandable to first-time users. We need ecologically sound forms of transportation that minimize pollution and maximize efficiency.

Adopt energy efficiency standards that reduce energy demand economy-wide by 50% over the next 20--30 years. The U.S. can make massive reductions in its energy use through a combination of conservation and efficiency measures. We don't actually need any additional power. Instead, we can and should reduce our consumption of power. Adopt a national zero waste policy. The less we consume and throw away, the less we will need to produce and replace.

Source: Green Party Platform adopted by 2020 presidential hopeful Jul 12, 2020

Rocky De La Fuente: Increase fossil fuels, but emphasize alternatives as well

Energy independence from foreign sources means that America's must invest both in increasing conventional domestic sources such as coal, oil, and natural gas but also must emphasize new technologies that make those resources more efficiently used and must drive toward the use of alternative energy technologies such as solar, wind, thermal depolymerization of organic waste, and biofuels.
Source: Reform Party Platform adopted by 2020 presidential hopeful Jun 22, 2020

Joe Biden: Transition to renewable energy; allow fracking for now

Members of the DNC Environment and Climate Crisis Council published proposals for the party's platform calling for up to $16 trillion in spending to shift the U.S. economy away from fossil fuels while banning hydraulic fracturing and oil and gas exports. The proposals exceed Biden's current climate plan, which bans new oil and gas permits on public lands and dedicates $1.7 trillion to accelerate the transition to renewable energy but allows continued fracking and exports in the meantime.
Source: Reuters news service on 2020 presidential hopefuls Jun 15, 2020

Jo Jorgensen: Nuclear more efficient then wind and solar power

Jorgensen said that the new tech surrounding nuclear is what environmentalists should be pushing over green energy options, like wind and solar. "If they were efficient, then people would have invested their own money in it to make a killing," Jorgensen said. "If there were profits to be made, you know that the greedy capitalist would have done it, right? And I say that facetiously. That's the good part of the free-market system, is that the dollars go to the good market choices."
Source: WIZM 92.3 FM/1410 AM Radio on 2020 presidential hopefuls Jun 13, 2020

Don Blankenship: Reject man-made global warning, refuted by scientists

?In 1982, I came to work for Massey Coal Company and was there until December 2010. Again, I received every promotion available to me during those years. I learned about, and struggled against, the ignorance and evilness of the United Mine Workers, much of the media, the "greeniacs," and much of corporate America.

I retired in 2010 and have since spent much of my time managing my finances, enjoying my son's racing, and spending time with my best friend, Meiling. We wholeheartedly support realistic efforts to preserve the environment and reduce pollution. We reject the argument of the perceived threat of man-made global warming which has been refuted by a large number of scientists. The globalists are using the global warming threat to gain more control via worldwide sustainable development.

Source: Constitution Platform adopted by 2020 presidential hopeful May 2, 2020

Justin Amash: Loves wind, solar, and nuclear, via private companies

I believe climate change is happening. I believe it's very important. I believe that humans do affect it, and that we should take action with respect to climate change. But we have to be smart about the actions we take. And some of the things we can do, for example, would be to look into further nuclear power, and finding ways to get nuclear power in this country because it is a relatively safe form of production and very low emissions compared to other forms of energy.

I love the idea of wind power and solar power and other things. I think that private actors need to get more involved and companies need to make it more of a priority. Companies themselves can get together and present their own metrics and present that to the public. There's no reason companies, for example, couldn't show off all the time about how environmentally friendly they are with their products. And then the people who like that can go buy that product.

Source: Reason magazine on 2020 presidential hopefuls May 1, 2020

Lincoln Chafee: Don't deny climate change: deal with it

Troubling also to Chafee is the wave of resistance to combating climate change. Chafee described Trump's policies on climate change as "an absolute threat," saying "We have 7.7 billion people on this planet and obviously it is a fact that human activity is having an effect. We have to be aware of that and not deny it and deal with it."
Source: Warwick Beacon on 2020 presidential hopefuls Sep 11, 2019

Joe Walsh: No more partisanship on climate change, it's real

Q: Have you changed your views on climate change?

WALSH: Yes. It's an issue I was just blindly partisan about. No more of that. It's real and It's an issue that the Republican Party needs a seat at the table with. We need to acknowledge it and begin working on solutions.

Source: Buzzfeed.com on 2020 presidential hopefuls Aug 29, 2019

Bernie Sanders: Not enough to beat Trump; must beat fossil fuel industry

The scientists tell us is that we have 12 years before irreparable damage is done to this planet. Beating Trump is not good enough. You've got to beat the fossil fuel industry. You have to take on all of those forces of the status quo, who do not want to move this country to energy efficiency and sustainable energies. We have a moral responsibility to make sure that our kids live, and our grandchildren live, in a healthy and habitable planet. That means massive investments in wind, solar.
Source: Meet the Press 2019 interview of 2020 presidential hopefuls May 19, 2019

Bill de Blasio: Supports Green New Deal & Paris Climate Accords

The mayor recently rolled out his Green New Deal-like plan for New York. He also opposes natural gas pipelines and wants the U.S. back in the Paris Climate Accords.
Source: Townhall.com: "The 2020 Democrats" (presidential hopefuls) May 18, 2019

Seth Moulton: Member of the Climate Solutions Caucus in Congress

"Climate change is real," he says on his congressional website. He is a member of the Climate Solutions Caucus. He hopes the U.S. can one day move toward energy independence. He supported President Obama's Clean Climate Agenda and opposes President Trump's executive order on the environment, which he says shows "a complete disregard for facts and science."
Source: CNN Town Hall with 2020 presidential hopefuls Apr 23, 2019

Howie Hawkins: Green New Deal can close racial income gap

The Green New Deal can close racial income and wealth gaps by empowering racially-oppressed communities through community control of Green New Deal programs so these communities are no longer subject to discrimination and exploitation by outside employers, landlords, real estate agents, and other gatekeepers. In addition, HR 40 for a Commission to Study and Develop Reparation Proposals for African-Americans should be enacted to find the best way to create individual and collective wealth to compensate for hundreds of years of unpaid and underpaid labor.
Source: Truthout.org on 2020 presidential hopefuls Apr 19, 2019

Jay Inslee: Keep options open, including research on nuclear energy

We're moving forward. We built a $6 billion wind turbine industry. We are electrifying our transportation system. We've got one of the highest uses of electric cars in the country and electric buses. We hope to build an electric ferry boat. We just passed a 100% clean electrical grid where we will not have fossil fuels on the grid.

I'm open to doing research and development to find out whether nuclear energy could become cost effective, could be safe and could deal with the waste stream. Those things would have to be resolved before it would become part of the mix. But I don't think we should shut off research into those options, given the urgency.

Source: Meet the Press 2019 interview of 2020 presidential hopefuls Apr 14, 2019

Julian Castro: Cut carbon emissions; invest in renewable energy

I would recommit the United States to the Paris climate accord. I like the concept of a Green New Deal. We need to invest in renewable energy. We need to drastically cut down carbon emissions. We need to convince other countries around the world to do the same thing.

I'm proud that when I was secretary of housing and urban development, we worked with housing authorities across the United States to improve their embrace of renewable energy, solar energy, other types of renewable energy.

Source: CNN Town Hall: 2020 presidential hopefuls Apr 11, 2019

Jay Inslee: Decarbonize economy; fund transition for coal/oil workers

We have to decarbonize our entire economy in the next several decades. This is massive re-industrialization of America. And third it has led people to recognize that we have to have a just transition to clean energy, where the first victims of climate change, which are marginalized communities, get help.

We are a fossil fuel-based economy largely right now, and we know we're going to have to go to clean energy sources by the midcentury. But while we do this, we have to make sure that people during that transition have opportunities along with everyone else. We need to do the kind of things we've done in Centralia, Washington, where we are closing our last coal-fired plant, to have about a $55 million fund to help those employees in training and transition assistance, to help businesses where we can make sure that local economy continues to thrive, and give a transition period of several years so that there's not, you know, trauma for these families.

Source: CNN Town Hall: 2020 presidential hopefuls Apr 10, 2019

Jay Inslee: Research nuclear energy; many problems unsolved

On the Green New Deal: Number one, it's got people talking about climate change. Number two, it has also raised people's ambition as to the scope of the challenge.

I believe that the urgency is so great and the time period so short to decarbonize our economy that we need to be open to any low-cost or low-carbon or zero-carbon technology. That includes nuclear. But there would have to be four things happen before nuclear power would be able to become a major part of our portfolio. It would have to become cost-effective, which it is not. It would have to be much safer with passive safety systems, which have not yet been developed. It would have to solve the waste problem with the waste stream. And it would have to win public acceptance. My view is it is appropriate to make R&D investments to determine whether any of those or all of those can be surmounted.

Source: CNN Town Hall: 2020 presidential hopefuls Apr 10, 2019

Kirsten Gillibrand: Put a price on carbon: supports Green New Deal

I'm for the Green New Deal and it's also why I'm for putting a price on carbon. The Green New Deal is actually three basic ideas that are already bipartisan. It's infrastructure investments. It's green jobs. And third, clean air and water.

The only idea that's new is net zero carbon emissions within 10 years. When John F. Kennedy said, "I want to put a man on the moon in 10 years," he didn't know if he could do it. Why not do the same here? Why not say, "let's get to net zero carbon emissions in 10 years not because it's easy, but because it's hard, because it will be a measure of our excellence and innovation," and it's a mission we are unwilling to postpone.

Source: CNN Town Hall: 2020 presidential hopefuls Apr 9, 2019

Andrew Yang: Mixed score on "350 Action's 2020 Climate Test"

The environmental group 350 Action released a candidate scorecard known as the 2020 Climate Test to assess presidential hopefuls on three major metrics: support for a Green New Deal, opposition to new fossil fuel development and refusal to accept money from energy companies. [Candidates supporting all three issues]: Four candidates have supported two of 350 Action's three benchmarks.Three candidates have failed all three of 350 Action's tests, attacking the Green New Deal or making no firm pledges to work against fossil fuel companies.
Source: Mother Jones, "On Climate," on 2020 Presidential Hopefuls Mar 27, 2019

Bernie Sanders: Perfect score on "350 Action's 2020 Climate Test"

The environmental group 350 Action released a candidate scorecard known as the 2020 Climate Test to assess presidential hopefuls on three major metrics: support for a Green New Deal, opposition to new fossil fuel development and refusal to accept money from energy companies.

Three candidates have made firm climate-forward commitments, issuing their support for the Green New Deal, vowing to keep fossil fuels in the ground and banning donations from Big Oil.

Four candidates have supported two of 350 Action's three benchmarks.Three candidates have failed all three of 350 Action's tests, attacking the Green New Deal or making no firm pledges to work against fossil fuel companies.
Source: Mother Jones, "On Climate," on 2020 Presidential Hopefuls Mar 27, 2019

Cory Booker: Leadership in dealing with climate change, including nuclear

I support the Green New Deal. When I was mayor, I found out that we can environmentally retrofit buildings, lower our carbon footprint, create good union jobs and apprenticeship programs. Nuclear has to be part of this solution. Next-generation nuclear is so much safer, uses spent fuel rods. One of the first things I do, should I be president, will be rejoining the Paris Climate Accords.
Source: CNN Town Hall: 2020 presidential hopefuls Mar 27, 2019

Cory Booker: Mixed score on "350 Action's 2020 Climate Test"

The environmental group 350 Action released a candidate scorecard known as the 2020 Climate Test to assess presidential hopefuls on three major metrics: support for a Green New Deal, opposition to new fossil fuel development and refusal to accept money from energy companies. [Candidates supporting all three issues]: Four candidates have supported two of 350 Action's three benchmarks.Three candidates have failed all three of 350 Action's tests, attacking the Green New Deal or making no firm pledges to work against fossil fuel companies.
Source: Mother Jones, "On Climate," on 2020 Presidential Hopefuls Mar 27, 2019

Donald Trump: Establish panel devoted to challenging climate science

The environmental group 350 Action released a candidate scorecard known as the 2020 Climate Test to assess presidential hopefuls on three major metrics: support for a Green New Deal, opposition to new fossil fuel development and refusal to accept money from energy companies.

Trump is the only Republican listed; he failed all three tests. On the Democratic side, 2020 candidates have for the most part indicated support for environmental policies, though some appear more willing to acknowledge the seriousness of the situation than others.

Despite public sentiment [in favor of climate action], Trump and his administration have maintained a firm anti-environment agenda. The president regularly mocks the idea of climate change on Twitter, and the White House is planning to set up a panel devoted to challenging the science behind the phenomenon that includes an avowed climate skeptic.

Source: Mother Jones, "On Climate," on 2020 Presidential Hopefuls Mar 27, 2019

Elizabeth Warren: Perfect score on "350 Action's 2020 Climate Test"

The environmental group 350 Action released a candidate scorecard known as the 2020 Climate Test to assess presidential hopefuls on three major metrics: support for a Green New Deal, opposition to new fossil fuel development and refusal to accept money from energy companies.

Three candidates have made firm climate-forward commitments, issuing their support for the Green New Deal, vowing to keep fossil fuels in the ground and banning donations from Big Oil.

Four candidates have supported two of 350 Action's three benchmarks.Three candidates have failed all three of 350 Action's tests, attacking the Green New Deal or making no firm pledges to work against fossil fuel companies.
Source: Mother Jones, "On Climate," on 2020 Presidential Hopefuls Mar 27, 2019

Jay Inslee: Mixed score on "350 Action's 2020 Climate Test"

The environmental group 350 Action released a candidate scorecard known as the 2020 Climate Test to assess presidential hopefuls on three major metrics: support for a Green New Deal, opposition to new fossil fuel development and refusal to accept money from energy companies. [Candidates supporting all three issues]: Four candidates have supported two of 350 Action's three benchmarks.Three candidates have failed all three of 350 Action's tests, attacking the Green New Deal or making no firm pledges to work against fossil fuel companies.
Source: Mother Jones, "On Climate," on 2020 Presidential Hopefuls Mar 27, 2019

John Delaney: Zero score on "350 Action's 2020 Climate Test"

The environmental group 350 Action released a candidate scorecard known as the 2020 Climate Test to assess presidential hopefuls on three major metrics: support for a Green New Deal, opposition to new fossil fuel development and refusal to accept money from energy companies.

Three candidates have made firm climate-forward commitments on all three issues:

Four candidates have supported two of 350 Action's three benchmarks.Three candidates have failed all three of 350 Action's tests, attacking the Green New Deal or making no firm pledges to work against fossil fuel companies.
Source: Mother Jones, "On Climate," on 2020 Presidential Hopefuls Mar 27, 2019

John Hickenlooper: Zero score on "350 Action's 2020 Climate Test"

The environmental group 350 Action released a candidate scorecard known as the 2020 Climate Test to assess presidential hopefuls on three major metrics: support for a Green New Deal, opposition to new fossil fuel development and refusal to accept money from energy companies.

Three candidates have made firm climate-forward commitments on all three issues:

Four candidates have supported two of 350 Action's three benchmarks.Three candidates have failed all three of 350 Action's tests, attacking the Green New Deal or making no firm pledges to work against fossil fuel companies.
Source: Mother Jones, "On Climate," on 2020 Presidential Hopefuls Mar 27, 2019

Kirsten Gillibrand: Perfect score on "350 Action's 2020 Climate Test"

The environmental group 350 Action released a candidate scorecard known as the 2020 Climate Test to assess presidential hopefuls on three major metrics: support for a Green New Deal, opposition to new fossil fuel development and refusal to accept money from energy companies.

Three candidates have made firm climate-forward commitments, issuing their support for the Green New Deal, vowing to keep fossil fuels in the ground and banning donations from Big Oil.

Four candidates have supported two of 350 Action's three benchmarks.Three candidates have failed all three of 350 Action's tests, attacking the Green New Deal or making no firm pledges to work against fossil fuel companies.
Source: Mother Jones, "On Climate," on 2020 Presidential Hopefuls Mar 27, 2019

Tulsi Gabbard: Mixed score on "350 Action's 2020 Climate Test"

The environmental group 350 Action released a candidate scorecard known as the 2020 Climate Test to assess presidential hopefuls on three major metrics: support for a Green New Deal, opposition to new fossil fuel development and refusal to accept money from energy companies. [Candidates supporting all three issues]: Four candidates have supported two of 350 Action's three benchmarks.Three candidates have failed all three of 350 Action's tests, attacking the Green New Deal or making no firm pledges to work against fossil fuel companies.
Source: Mother Jones, "On Climate," on 2020 Presidential Hopefuls Mar 27, 2019

John Hickenlooper: Work with environmentalists & industry to get to solutions

Climate change is an issue that's going to disproportionately affect low-income people and people of color. We got the oil and gas industry to sit down with the environmental community for 14 months and we created the first methane regulations in the country that the oil and gas industry paid $60 million per year. It's the equivalent of taking 320,000 cars a year off the road. We announced that we were going to close two coal plants and replace it with wind, solar, and batteries.
Source: CNN Town Hall: 2020 presidential hopefuls Mar 20, 2019

Beto O`Rourke: Return to Paris climate agreement

Source: PBS News hour on 2020 Presidential hopefuls Mar 14, 2019

Pete Buttigieg: Climate security is priority, invest in renewables

We need our expectations of 21st century security to include the concept of climate security. We've got to make sure we are reducing carbon levels at least to the kinds of commitments that were in the Paris Accord, which we should rejoin immediately when the new president takes office. More investments in renewables are going to be needed. We're going to have to contemplate a carbon tax. There are ways to do it that most Americans would be better off fiscally.
Source: CNN Town Hall: back-to-back 2020 presidential hopefuls Mar 10, 2019

Jay Inslee: Fighting climate change crucial, and profitable

Inslee will be the only climate-change candidate when he announces his bid. "It's less of a concern," Inslee says of his singular focus on global warming, "than being totally ignored in a presidential race." This isn't just about saving the planet, but about how much money can be made in moving toward clean energy. "Whatever the situation is now, it's going to be worse two years from now on the peril side, and it's going to be better on the promise side through clean-energy jobs."
Source: The Atlantic, "Risky Bet," on 2020 presidential hopefuls Mar 1, 2019

John Kasich: I've evolved on climate change: stop denying it

Republicans should stop denying humans' impact on climate change and start putting forth policies to address it, Kasich says. "This is like a call to arms. Let's have conservatives have a discussion instead of being in denial that this is a problem. You can't just be a science denier."

Kasich himself has evolved from when he was running in the 2016 GOP presidential primary. He said then that the overall human impact on climate change is unclear and that "we don't want to destroy people's job, based on some theory that is not proven."

When presented with those comments, Kasich responded: "Yeah, well you know what, we all evolve." He went on to cite a federal government report, issued under the Trump administration, that laid out humans' impact on climate change and the impacts of it. "As I see more and more evidence, especially from our government and scientists, you learn more. Let's step it up."

Source: Axios.com on 2020 presidential hopefuls Feb 26, 2019

John Kasich: Subsidies for electric vehicles and renewables

In his speech at the University of British Columbia, Kasich laid out what he is describing as a "centrist" climate policy, including: