Presidential debate is no wind job

By John McGory

Last night’s presidential debate made me proud to be an American.  President Barack Obama and Governor Mitt Romney went toe-to-toe on the issues that are critical to America.  We love that these men running for the most powerful elected office in the world must defend their policy positions on live television.

The debate showed clear differences between the two candidates’ energy policies.  

President Obama pushed more fuel-efficient automobiles, clean oil, natural gas and coal technology and the expansion of renewable energy.

Governor Romney's plans include more permitting and licensing for oil and gas on federal lands and waters, the opening of the Canadian oil pipeline, a strong support of the use of coal and the reduction of environmental regulations.

Our country's energy future cannot be based solely on carbon-based fuels.  As President Obama said last night, an “all of the above” energy plan must include strong support for wind, solar and biofuels.  

President Obama pointed out Governor Romney’s opposition to extending wind energy tax credits that could cost America thousands of jobs in Ohio, Iowa and Colorado.  He quoted the governor as saying those jobs were “imaginary.”

Romney responded to this criticism of his energy plan by saying, “I appreciate wind jobs in Iowa.”

Appreciating renewable energy jobs and supporting them through tax credits are two different approaches to our energy future.  The government must support renewable technology and not simply give it lip service while providing billions in tax breaks to the oil industry.

The second point of contention came over the price of gasoline.  Four-dollar-a-gallon prices have hurt American pocketbooks.  Governor Romney indicated that if he became president that his policies would lower gas prices.

Pulitizer Prize-winning columnist, Robert B. Semple, Jr., in a March 17, 2012 column in the New York Times, “Obama sets oil prices?  Just another GOP myth” correctly points out that the president has no control over oil prices.  World markets set prices as supply and demand fluctuates depending on issues ranging from “a worldwide recession, an embargo or conflict in the Middle East.”

Prices will come down when oil use is reduced through its more efficient use and as other energy alternatives become available.  Governor Romney’s plan of drilling our way to energy independence will not succeed without increasingly efficient cars that may or may not use oil as a fuel.

Our energy future will determine many of the others issues facing our country including jobs and the deficit.  An “all-of-the-above” approach is what we need to truly become energy independent.  This will improve our economy and create jobs. 

The spirited give and take between two qualified candidates made for great political theater.  They both laid out their energy plans and it is our belief that President Obama’s plan makes more sense for our energy future. 

John McGory is an Ohio Energy Soldier.  Follow our daily posts on Facebook.

Big oil is driving the Romney train

 By John McGory

This past August Mitt Romney raised $10 million dollars from Texas oil executives in the days before he announced his energy plan for America.  It is no surprise the plan favors oil and coal over renewable energy sources.

The plan calls for the expansion of drilling for oil and gas along the coasts of the Carolinas and Virginia, the elimination of most federal safety and environmental standards that govern the development of energy resources on public lands and the end of tax credits for renewable energy sources.

The Washington Post reported, “Romney’s plan caters heavily to oil and gas interests, and oil executives are some of his biggest benefactors.”

Big oil is telling their candidate to kill the push for renewable energy.  His plan to eliminate the wind tax credit would cost America, and especially Ohio, California and Iowa, thousands of jobs and cede America’s leadership position in renewable energy to China, Germany and Spain.

Romney will take care of his benefactors by preserving big oil’s $2.4 billion tax credits. This is for companies, BP, Chevron, ExxonMobile, ConocoPhillips and Shell, that made $137 billion in 2011 and over $60 billion so far in 2012.

But that is not all they are going to get.  The Romney-Ryan tax plan will cut the corporate tax rate for big oil, giving them another $2.3 billion.  That is over $4 billion from the national treasury for companies that will have made over $200 billion dollars in the past two years.

Romney says these cuts will lead to lower prices at the pumps for American consumers.  Unfortunately, oil prices are not set by American oil companies.  They are set on a global basis and all these big oil tax benefits will do is line the pockets of the oil barons.

How important is the election of Romney to big oil?  David and Charles Koch, brothers who own Koch Industries, the second largest privately-held company in America, promised in April $200 million dollars to elect Mitt Romney as president over Barack Obama.

Big oil's death grip on our pocketbooks will not end until there is competition for our energy dollars.  This election is about keeping the expensive and environmentally destructive fossil fuel industry as our only energy choice or promoting new energy solutions such as wind, solar and bioenergy. 

Americans will have no one to blame but themselves for high energy costs, the ravaging of public lands and a carbon-filled atmosphere if they allow big oil to put their feet up in the Oval Office for another four-year reign.  It is your choice. 

John McGory is an Ohio Energy Soldier. 

Ohio and the presidential election

By John McGory

 

American will make a critical decision for president of the United States in 2012.  Barack Obama and Mitt Romney’s paths for solutions to our country’s problem are divergent and divisive.  Let’s take a look at their energy policy proposals and what they mean for Ohio.

The general policy difference between the two candidates is simple. President Obama wants to encourage renewable energy while continuing to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from fossil fuel energy sources.  The challenger Romney wants to release the coal and oil industries from the requirements of the 1970 Clean Air Act in an effort to increase national energy production.

This difference will determine how energy jobs are created.  Obama’s focus on renewable energy has created 3.1 million new green jobs, including 126,000 in Ohio.   CNN reported that the top three clean-tech states employ more people in green jobs than the coal industry does nationwide.  The wind industry now has 75,000 workers in the U.S. compared to 81,000 in the coal industry.

Romney says four million new jobs in oil, gas and coal industries will be created by opening up coastal Virginia and the Carolinas for oil exploration and cutting back on environment regulations.

The regulations Romney wants to gut are from the 1970 Clean Air Act.  President Richard Nixon signed into law the act which is the foundation for many of today’s environmental regulations.  Many of Romney’s proposals would require major reductions in America’s environmental standards.

Another major difference between the candidates is in energy tax credits.  Romney favors a proposal to eliminate the wind energy tax credit while refusing to end the tax credits for fossil fuel energy. This would have a devastating impact on Ohio which ranked as the fastest growing state for new wind-power installations last year. 

Obama supports the wind tax credit and a reduction in the $4 billion a year the oil industry receives in tax credits. 

The car mileage standards negotiated between the auto industry and the federal government is also up for debate.  An agreement between the federal government and the auto industry sets the standard of 54.5 miles per gallon for autos by 2025.  It will save Americans an average of $8000 over the life of the car while reducing greenhouse emissions.  The auto industry does not want to renegotiate the standards.  Romney wants to reduce it anyway.

Polls show approximately eighty percent of Americans support the increased production and use of renewable energy.  The explosion of renewable energy into the consciousness of the world is stunning.  Going back in time now and solely embracing fossil fuel energy to the detriment of renewable energy makes no sense.

Two great Ohioans, Orville and Wilbur Wright, were the first to build and fly an airplane.  Sixty-six years later another great Ohioan, Neil Armstrong, walked on the moon.  The stunning advancement of aviation technology is only one example of how quickly innovation can come once you start focusing the country’s intentions on it.    

The energy policy difference between the two candidates is stark.  We cannot go back to the 1960s and power our world solely on fossil fuels.  We must look to the future and trust technology will continue to lead our country to greater heights.  The energy policy differences between the candidates makes Ohio Energy Soldiers’ support for the reelection of Barack Obama for president of the United States an easy one.

John McGory is an Ohio Energy Soldier.  Become a fan of our Facebook page by going to this link.  We support a strong Ohio economy linked to renewable energy.