Final 5 Presidential Candidates On Energy

Donald Trump has no voting record on energy policy but his tweets, sound bites and rallies reveal some of his positions.  He wants to bring coal back 100%, and that he is in favor of nuclear power. He likes natural gas and is of the drill-baby-drill philosophy, does not believe in global warming, dismisses renewables, and would like to significantly reduce the influence of the EPA. 

Hillary Clinton supports President Obama’s Clean Power Plan, led the President’s 2012 establishment of a global initiative to reduce green-house gases and other climate-affecting pollutants, and has an aggressive plan for renewable energy to supply power at some level to every U.S. home within ten years.

Clinton favors non-fossil fuels over fossil fuels. Clinton wants to ban offshore drilling, implement a windfall profits tax on oil companies, work to strengthen national pipeline safety regulations, invest heavily in grid and energy infrastructure, is against the Keystone XL pipeline, supports natural gas over coal, supports making renewable tax credits permanent, and wants to spend $30 billion to help coal communities transition away from coal production.

Clinton generally supports nuclear energy. She does not want to close nuclear power plants, in particular the New York Indian Point and other nuclear power plants in that state, as her opponent does. Clinton has said that “rapidly shutting down our nation’s nuclear power fleet puts ideology ahead of science and would make it harder and more costly to build a clean energy future. Clinton opposes the Yucca Mountain nuclear repository and supports the Blue Ribbon Commission’s recommendations for our nuclear future, generally continuing President Obama’s policies on nuclear power.

John Kasich who, as Ohio Governor and a nine-term member of Congress, has voted on energy issues many times, although his major committees were Budget and Armed Services. He acknowledges global warming as a problem, but froze Ohio’s Renewable Portfolio Standard when he became Governor in 2010. He supports free market fixes to most environmental problems. He originally wanted to frack for natural gas in state parks, but never followed through on it. Kasich has supported some clean water and air quality initiatives, supports higher taxes on fracking for natural gas, but supports the Keystone XL pipeline.

He strongly supports coal which produces over 50% of Ohio’s electricity, but is mum on nuclear power even though it is the state’s third largest source, just behind natural gas.

Ted Cruz stands for fossil fuels and against renewables. He considers climate change to be a hoax. Cruz is in favor of drilling and mining anywhere and everywhere, even in parks, and is against all regulations. He is mute on nuclear, but wants to abolish the Department of Energy

Bernie Sanders wants to ban fracking completely, as well as all offshore drilling, Arctic drilling, natural gas exports, and mountaintop coal mining. The fossil fuel subsidy that Sanders does support is the highly-regarded Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program that assists low income families with their heating bills.

Sanders is for a 100% renewable energy future.

Sanders is vehemently against nuclear power. He wants to stop all nuclear license renewals and shut all nuclear power plants as fast as possible Like Clinton, Sanders opposes the Yucca Mountain nuclear repository.  (Forbes, 4/18/2016)