Howard Dean on Energy & Oil Former VT Governor; Former Democratic Candidate for President

Raise CAFE standard from 27.5 mpg to 37.5, including SUVs

A: I support an across-the-board corporate average fuel economy (CAFE) standard of 37.5 mpg by 2015. This would apply to all passenger vehicles, and would require a closing of the SUV loophole.

Global warming is most important enviro problem we face

A: We should find a way to sign Kyoto. It is not perfect and we must include the developing nations, such as Brazil & China, and require them to reduce greenhouse gasses as well. But in the end global warming is the most important environmental problem we face. We can’t follow the head-in-the-sand view of the Bush administration on global warming. We have to deal with it.

No new nuclear plants until waste disposal is safe

A: We can not build any new nuclear power plants until we have a satisfactory way of disposing of the waste. At present, significant questions have been raised about the safety of Yucca Mountain, the disposal site in Nevada. Unless those safety questions are resolved Yucca cannot be opened and new plants must not be built.

Wind energy reduces global warming & reduces Saudi imports

Dean appears to be right when he says that developing wind power would reduce both the amount of oil imported and climate change. What Dan does not mention is that while wind power may be popular in Denmark, it is controversial even in Vermont, where many of his former constituents fear the tall towers will ruin the mountaintop scenery. Dean finesses this point. The windmills, he suggests, should be concentrated on the Great Plains.

10% ethanol in gasoline reduced oil imports by 5%

Requiring more ethanol in auto fuel is popular in the Farm Belt. It is unpopular with many economists and engineers who argue that it takes almost as many BTU's to produce a pound of ethanol as that pound provides and that the entire ethanol experiment is economically feasible only because of tax subsidies.

But it takes BTU's to produce coal, oil, natural gas and nuclear energy, too, and they also get tax preferences.

Help developing countries reduce greenhouse gases

Our energy policy is one of our biggest security threats

In Vermont, we have the highest rate of energy conservation in the US America needs an energy policy which stresses conservation and renewables, including wind, biomass, ethanol and solar. Not only is renewable energy good for the environment, it is a core pice of a smarter foreign policy.

Voluntary partnerships reduce greenhouse gases economically.

Considering the evidence and the risks of both overreaction and underreaction, the Governors recommend that the federal government continue its climate research, including regional climate research, to improve scientific understanding of global climate change. The Governors also recommend taking steps that are cost-effective and offer other social and economic benefits beyond reducing greenhouse gas emissions. In particular, the Governors support voluntary partnerships to reduce greenhouse gas emissions while achieving other economic and environmental goals.
• The Governors are committed to working in partnership with the federal government, businesses, environmental groups, and others to develop and implement voluntary programs that reduce greenhouse gas emissions in conjunction with conserving energy, protecting the environment, and strengthening the economy.
• The Governors urge that those who have successfully achieved reductions of greenhouse emissions receive appropriate credit for their early actions. The Governors strongly encourage these kinds of voluntary efforts.
• The Governors believe that federally required implementation of any treaty provisions, including those that mandate limits or reductions of greenhouse gas emissions, must not occur before the U.S. Senate ratifies an international agreement and Congress passes enabling legislation.
• The Governors support continued federal funding for research and development technology in this area. They also believe it is essential to engage the private sector by fostering technology partnerships between industry and government. Public-private partnerships serve to achieve desired environmental goals, speed the introduction of new technologies to the marketplace, and meet consumer needs and product affordability goals, while avoiding market distortions and job losses.

Kyoto Treaty must include reductions by all countries.

The Governors recommend that the federal government continue to seek the advice of state and local officials and nongovernmental organizations with expertise in economic, trade, jobs, public health, and environmental issues and assess the potential economic and environmental consequences of proposed policies and measures, including a thorough and broadly accepted analysis of costs and benefits. The Governors recommend that the US:
• not sign or ratify any agreement that mandates new commitments to limit or reduce greenhouse gas emissions for the US, unless such an agreement mandates new specific scheduled commitments to limit or reduce greenhouse gas emissions for developing countries within the same compliance period;
• aggressively undertake strategies for including emissions-reduction commitments from developing countries;
• not sign or ratify any agreement that would result in serious harm to the US economy;
• support flexible policies and measures in continuing negotiations that provide an opportunity for the US to meet global environmental goals without jeopardizing US jobs, trade, or economic competitiveness;
• insist on flexible implementation timetables in continuing negotiations that permit affected parties adequate time to plan strategies for meeting commitments; and
• ensure that no single sector, state, or nation is disproportionately disadvantaged by the implementation of international policies.

Create Regional Emissions Registry for GHG trading.

• WHEREAS, the Conference of New England Governors and Eastern Canadian Premiers (NEG/ECP) have developed a Climate Change Action Plan to address actions to reduce the emissions of greenhouse gases in the Region and adapt our economies and social infrastructure to the negative impacts likely to result from climate change; and
• WHEREAS, within the region, greenhouse gas emissions within one jurisdiction associated with cleaner energy production, can be offset by greenhouse gas emission reductions within another jurisdiction, resulting from the replacement of higher carbon intensity fuels with imported cleaner energy; and
• WHEREAS, the Conference recognizes that substantial opportunities to improve conservation and efficiency in energy use and transportation are embodied in the Climate Change Action Plan [with the following summary of Action Items]:
  1. The Establishment of a Regional Standardized GHG Emissions Inventory
  2. The Establishment of a Plan for Reducing GHG Emissions and Conserving Energy
  3. The Promotion of Public Awareness
  4. State and Provincial Governments to Lead by Example
  5. The Reduction of Greenhouse Gases from the Electricity Sector
  6. The Reduction of the Total Energy Demand Through Conservation
  7. The Reduction and/or Adaptation of Negative Social, Economic and Environmental Impacts of Climate Change
  8. A Decrease in the Transportation Sector’s Growth in GHG Emissions
  9. The Creation of a Regional Emissions Registry and the Exploration of a Trading Mechanism