Topics in the News: Alternative Energy

Joe Biden on Alternative Energy: (Free Trade Dec 23, 2021)
Ban trade from Xinjiang; plus diplomatic boycott of Olympics

President Biden signed a new law banning products made in China's Xinjiang region because of China's oppression of its largely Muslim Uighur minority population. The law imposes a near-blanket ban on the import to the US of goods by requiring suppliers to first prove their products were not made with forced labour. Xinjiang is a large supplier of cotton and solar panels.

UN experts have estimated that more than one million people, mainly Uighurs, have been imprisoned in recent years in a vast system of camps in Xinjiang. The US and many rights groups have called it "genocide".

The US cited the situation in Xinjiang in a decision earlier this month to launch a diplomatic boycott of the upcoming Winter Olympics in Beijing. The Biden administration also imposed trade sanctions last week on several Chinese companies, accusing the government in Beijing of advancing high-tech surveillance on the Uighurs. [See H.R. 6256 for details of bill]

Click for Joe Biden on other issues. Source: Al Jazeera "Xinjiang" on 2021 Biden Administration

Vladimir Putin on Alternative Energy: (Energy & Oil Apr 21, 2021)
We'll end up in caves if we rely on solar/wind power

Producing energy without carbon emissions will send humanity back to the prehistoric period, Putin told an investment forum. "When these ideas of reducing energy production to zero or relying only on solar or wind power are promoted, I think humanity could once again end up in caves, simply because it won't consume anything," Putin said. "The technology is currently such that we simply won't be able to preserve civilization without hydrocarbons, nuclear energy or hydropower," Putin said. Click for Vladimir Putin on other issues. Source: The Moscow Times on Foreign Influencers

Donald Trump on Alternative Energy: (Energy & Oil Oct 22, 2020)
Wind power kills birds; solar can't run factories

BIDEN: The fastest growing industry in America is solar energy and wind. [Trump] thinks windmills causes cancer. It's the fastest growing jobs and they pay good prevailing wages, 45, 50 bucks an hour. We can grow and we can be cleaner if we go the route I'm proposing.

TRUMP: We are energy independent for first time. We don't need all of these countries that we had to fight war over because we needed their energy. We are energy independent. I know more about wind than you do. It's extremely expensive. Kills all the birds. It's very intermittent. It's got a lot of problems and they happen to make the windmills in both Germany and China and the fumes coming up, if you're a believer in carbon emission, the fumes coming up to make these massive windmills is more than anything that we're talking about with natural gas, which is very clear.

BIDEN: Find me a scientist who says that.

Click for Donald Trump on other issues. Source: Third 2020 Presidential Debate, moderated by Kristen Welker

Donald Trump on Alternative Energy: (Energy & Oil Oct 22, 2020)
Solar cannot power the economy like oil

TRUMP: I love solar, but solar doesn't quite have it yet. It's not powerful yet to really run our big, beautiful factories that we need to compete with the world. It's all a pipe dream, but you know what we'll do? We're going to have the greatest economy in the world, but if you want to kill the economy, get rid of your oil industry you want. What about fracking?

BIDEN: I never said I oppose fracking. What I will do with fracking over time is make sure that we can capture the emissions from the fracking. We can do that by investing money in doing it, but it's a transition. I said, no fracking and/or oil on federal land.

TRUMP: Would he close down the oil industry?

BIDEN: Well if you let me finish the statement, because it has to be replaced by renewable energy over time, over time, and I'd stopped giving to the oil industry, I'd stop giving them federal subsidies. You won't get federal subsidies to the gas, oh, excuse me to solar and wind.

Click for Donald Trump on other issues. Source: Third 2020 Presidential Debate, moderated by Kristen Welker

Joe Biden on Alternative Energy: (Energy & Oil Oct 15, 2020)
Weatherize 4 million buildings and 2 million homes

Every time we talk about global warming or the environment, the president thinks it's a joke and I think of jobs. What we have to do is focus on the transmission of energy across the country from areas relating to solar and wind.

The reason is that they have not, that has not been mastered yet. I met a lot of people in Silicon Valley. The battery technology is increasing significantly so you're going to be able to have, for example, solar on your home and a battery in your basement. So when the sun doesn't shine for five days, you still have enough energy. So, we're making significant progress.

The other thing we're going to do is provide an awful lot of work. It's estimated to put close to a million people to work by weatherizing four million buildings and two million homes, because we'll save tons and tons of energy or billions of barrels of energy over time. And at the same time provide significant employment and a good union wages, prevailing wages.

Click for Joe Biden on other issues. Source: Second 2020 Presidential Debate/ABC Town Hall Philadelphia

Joe Biden on Alternative Energy: (Energy & Oil Oct 15, 2020)
I pushed the cost of wind & solar below cost of oil

The future rests in renewable energy. I managed the Recovery Act and I was able to invest billions of dollars into bringing down the cost per BTU of wind and solar. So now it's cheaper than coal, is cheaper than oil right now, and it has great, great promise. And it's also the fastest growing employer in the energy industry.

We should be moving toward finding the new technologies that are going to be able to deal with carbon capture. Ultimately, it's a transition we moved from, to a net zero emission of carbon that we're still going to be able to use if we find the right technology. I think we're going to be able to move in a direction where by the year 2035, we'll be able to have net zero emissions of carbon from the creation of energy so we can move it by dealing with those.

Click for Joe Biden on other issues. Source: Second 2020 Presidential Debate/ABC Town Hall Philadelphia

Justin Amash on Alternative Energy: (Energy & Oil May 1, 2020)
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.

Click for Justin Amash on other issues. Source: Reason magazine on 2020 presidential hopefuls

Bernie Sanders on Alternative Energy: (Energy & Oil Mar 15, 2020)
Transform our energy system, as quickly as we humanly can

We have to invest in an unprecedented way. We're talking about a $13 trillion investment. I don't know what the alternative is, if we are playing for the future of this planet. We've got to be dramatic: massive investments in wind, in solar and sustainable energies in general, and research and development.

This is not building a few more solar panels or a few more wind turbines. What this is about is transforming our energy system, as quickly as we humanly can, away from fossil fuel. It is insane that we continue to have fracking in America. It is absurd that we give tens of billions of dollars a year in tax breaks and subsidies to the fossil fuel industry. This has got the end and end now if we love our kids and future generations.

I'm talking about speaking to China, to Russia, to countries all over the world and in this moment--to pool our resources and fight our common enemy, which is climate change. We've got to take on the fossil fuel industry.

Click for Bernie Sanders on other issues. Source: 11th Democratic primary debate (Biden-Sanders one-on-one)

Mike Bloomberg on Alternative Energy: (Energy & Oil Feb 19, 2020)
Outdated solar arrays are closing because they lose money

Vice President Joe BIDE: I went out to a facility where you have one of the largest solar panel arrays in the world. It will be able to take care of 60,000 homes for every single bit of their needs. I would work on providing the $47 billion to find a way to transmit that solar energy. Invest in battery technology.

BLOOMBERG: The solar array that the vice president is talking about is being closed because it's not economic. You can put solar panels into technology even more modern than that.

Click for Mike Bloomberg on other issues. Source: MSNBC's 9th Democrat primary debate, in Las Vegas

Joe Biden on Alternative Energy: (Energy & Oil Feb 19, 2020)
Invest in batteries to transmit solar power

The existential threat humanity faces is global warming. I went out to a facility where you have one of the largest solar panel arrays in the world. And when the fourth stage is completed, it will be able to take care of 60,000 homes for every single bit of their needs.

And what I would do is, number one, work on providing the $47 billion we have for tech and for making sure we find answers--to find a way to transmit that wind and solar energy across the network in the United States. Invest in battery technology.

I would immediately reinstate all of the elimination of what Trump has eliminated in terms of the EPA. I would secondly make sure that we had 500,000 new charging stations in every new highway we built or repaired. I would make sure that we once again made sure that we got the mileage standards back up which would have saved over 12 billion barrels of oil. And I would invest in rail. Rail can take millions of cars off the road if we have high-speed rail.

Click for Joe Biden on other issues. Source: MSNBC's 9th Democrat primary debate, in Las Vegas

Deval Patrick on Alternative Energy: (Energy & Oil Feb 6, 2020)
Massachusetts met Paris Climate rules while he was Governor

If Massachusetts were a country and a signatory to the Paris accords, we would have met the goals of the Paris accords six years ago [In 2014, while I was governor].

We went from 900,000 megawatts of alternative energy generation to 4.7 million megawatts of alternative energy, most of it solar, some wind. And in the meanwhile, we created this whole new tech industry, clean tech industry, which was one of the fastest growing in the commonwealth, and one of the reasons why we came out recession faster than most other states.

The only thing we haven't done, and that I am open to, is a carbon tax. I'm open to it. That might be, and some have suggested that's a better idea than a cap-and-trade. But in my view, it works best if we take, just as in the example I offered of the cap-and-trade system, if we use all of the proceeds to plow them into moving us faster to a green future.

Click for Deval Patrick on other issues. Source: CNN N. H. Town Hall on eve of 2020 N. H. primary

Andrew Yang on Alternative Energy: (Energy & Oil Feb 5, 2020)
Move subsidies from fossil fuel to wind and solar

I would zero out the billions and billions of dollars of subsidies that are going to these fossil fuel companies that are way, way past their sell-by date. I would take those subsidies, move them to wind and solar. And then I would put a price on carbon immediately so that polluters actually have to pay into a system that will help reduce emissions. Click for Andrew Yang on other issues. Source: CNN Town Hall 2020: Presidential/NYC Mayoral race

Gina Raimondo on Alternative Energy: (Technology Jan 14, 2020)
Fixed roads and bridges; now let's do public transportation

In the last four years, we've fixed more than 100 roads and bridges, and right now, we're fixing another 100. Now, just imagine what Rhode Island would look like if we improved our trains, buses, and public transit the same way we've tackled fixing our roads and bridges. Imagine a day when high speed commuter rail connects Providence to Boston; when electric buses powered by solar panels zip through dedicated bus lanes. That's within our grasp right now. Click for Gina Raimondo on other issues. Source: 2020 Rhode Island State of the State address

Tom Steyer on Alternative Energy: (Energy & Oil Dec 19, 2019)
Nuclear isn't competitive: focus on wind & solar & batteries

The point about nuclear power is, it's not at the stage in the United States where it's competitive on price. It has a lot of risks to it in terms of disasters and we have no ability to store the toxins that come out of it and last a hundred thousand years. We actually have the technology that we need. It's called wind and solar and batteries. So in fact, what we need to do, we can do. We've got to stop taking a look at this as something that we can't do because we can do this, and we can do it in a way that rebuilds this country on an accelerated basis. Creates millions of union jobs and we come at it from the standpoint of environmental justice. This is our greatest opportunity to reinvent this country, to actually take on the biggest challenge in history and succeed together. You want to pull the country together with all this partisanship? Let's take on the biggest challenge in history and succeed together as a nation. That's what pulls people together. Click for Tom Steyer on other issues. Source: Newshour/Politico/PBS December Democratic primary debate

Joe Biden on Alternative Energy: (Energy & Oil Dec 19, 2019)
Tax credits for solar power on homes

Q: Three consecutive presidents have enjoyed stints of explosive economic growth due to a boom in oil and natural gas production. Would you be willing to sacrifice some of that growth even knowing potentially that it could displace thousands of blue collar workers in the interest of transitioning to that greener economy?

Biden: The answer's yes, because the opportunity for those workers to transition to high paying jobs is real. We're the only country in the world's ever taken great, great crises & turned them into an enormous opportunities. I've met with the union leaders. For example, we should, in fact, be making sure right now that every new building built is energy-contained, that it doesn't leak energy. That in fact we should be providing tax credits for people to be able to make homes turn to solar power. We're now on the verge of having batteries that are about the size of the top of this podium that you can store energy when the wind isn't blowing and the sun isn't shining.

Click for Joe Biden on other issues. Source: Newshour/Politico/PBS December Democratic primary debate

Tom Steyer on Alternative Energy: (Environment Nov 7, 2019)
Nuclear energy is risky & not cost competitive

Nuclear energy is risky and not cost competitive. It has suffered from massive cost overruns and has required massive government bailouts. We should certainly not have any new power plants at this time. There are three key aspects to nuclear energy we should be concerned with: waste disposal, safety, and cost. Renewable energy like wind and solar are the least costly forms of energy to produce. Click for Tom Steyer on other issues. Source: USA Today on 2019 Democratic primary

Pete Buttigieg on Alternative Energy: (Energy & Oil Nov 4, 2019)
Trump's EPA small refinery waivers benefitted big oil

[On EPA rules from the Trump administration]: "Biofuels provide promising opportunities in rural America that drive our country forward and help reduce emissions," says Buttigieg. "Yet, Trump's small refinery waivers have benefited big oil companies at the expense of Iowa farmers. And jobs and incomes have been lost in the process. Farmers deserve better. As president, I will end this administration's abuse of 'small refinery' waivers." Click for Pete Buttigieg on other issues. Source: KIMT-3 News (Rochester/Austin) on Biden Transition

Beto O`Rourke on Alternative Energy: (Energy & Oil Sep 4, 2019)
Use cap and trade revenue to underwrite transition economy

Q: How would you make going green more affordable?

O'ROURKE: I was talking about cap and trade. That revenue is used to help Americans meet the costs of a transitioning economy by making sure that all of us can meet our obligations when it comes to climate change. So that's investment in those communities that are on the front lines, that's investment in making sure that you can afford solar panels or an electric vehicle. That's an investment in communities to make sure that we have housing that is closer to where people work.

Q: Would you bring back the Obama-era environmental regulations that Trump canceled?

O'ROURKE: Absolutely. Higher vehicle emissions standards, a clean power plan so that the electricity that we're generating is clean, and we completely electrify our transportation sector. So yes, let's not only reverse the damage that Donald Trump has done, and he's done a lot. Let's go much further than any administration before his has gone.

Click for Beto O`Rourke on other issues. Source: Climate Crisis Town Hall (CNN 2019 Democratic primary)

Bernie Sanders on Alternative Energy: (Energy & Oil Sep 4, 2019)
Government loans to help people erect solar panels

My goal is to see a massive increase in the use of wind and solar, and we will help people be able to afford to pay for it. We're going to make it possible to lend those people that money to put the solar up on their roofs. They will not be paying a nickel more than they're currently paying for electricity, and then they're going to have free electric after that. That is a sane approach which also creates jobs. Those are the kinds of things that we want to do for small business and ho Click for Bernie Sanders on other issues. Source: Climate Crisis Town Hall (CNN 2019 Democratic primary)

Bernie Sanders on Alternative Energy: (Environment Sep 4, 2019)
Deal with existing nuclear waste before creating any more

Q: In your Green New Deal plan, you argue that nuclear energy is "a false solution" to the climate crisis. Why?

SANDERS: We got a heck of a lot of nuclear waste, which is going to stay around for many thousands of years. We don't know how to get rid of it right now. It doesn't make a whole lot of sense to me to add more dangerous waste when we don't know how to get rid of what we have right now. Number two, it costs a lot more to build a new nuclear power plant today than it does to go to solar or to go to wind. So I think that it is safer and more cost effective to move to sustainable energies like wind, solar, and geothermal, and not nuclear.

Q: Can you go carbon neutral without nuclear in the short term?

SANDERS: I think you can. And I think the scientists tell us, in fact, that we can. And I think if you talk to the people in Japan in terms of what happened at Fukushima, talk to the people in Russia what happened in Chernobyl, they may not feel so comfortable with nuclear power.

Click for Bernie Sanders on other issues. Source: CNN Climate Crisis Town Hall marathon (10 Democrats)

Amy Klobuchar on Alternative Energy: (Jobs Sep 4, 2019)
Focus on rural & job aspects of green energy transition

Q: Do you support a jobs guarantee as part of a climate plan or do you think we risk losing support for a climate plan by mixing the issues of climate change and full employment?

KLOBUCHAR: I think that we have to make jobs and employment a major part of this. Let's look at the facts even in today's economy--wind & solar are some of the growing areas for new jobs. In today's economy 99% of the wind [energy generation] is going to be rural. So there's a lot of exciting things that can happen in rural America out of this. So there's a lot of new jobs. So for me, as you are transitioning out of coal--as you are replacing this oil with electric cars and other new technology--you make sure that people that are working in those fossil fuel industries have jobs. So we do worker training--to make sure that we're ready to find jobs that are suiting the skills that they've had that they've built over the years.

Click for Amy Klobuchar on other issues. Source: CNN Climate Crisis Town Hall marathon (10 Democrats)

Tim Ryan on Alternative Energy: (Technology Aug 25, 2019)
Chief manufacturing officer will move US on green technology

I'm talking about bringing manufacturing back and start building things like electric vehicles and solar where China right now is cleaning our clock. They control 60% of the electric vehicle market, 60% of the solar panel market. I'm going to have a chief manufacturing officer that moves us down that road, and that's resonating with people. Click for Tim Ryan on other issues. Source: CNN State of the Union interview for Dems' 2020 Veepstakes

Beto O`Rourke on Alternative Energy: (Environment Jul 30, 2019)
Bring everyone into process with conservation easements

I've listened to the scientists and they're very clear. We don't have more than 10 years to get this right, and we won't meet that challenge with half-steps or only half the country. Those college students I met understand that wind and solar jobs are the fastest-growing jobs in the country. Those farmers in Iowa say pay me for the environmental services of planting cover crops and keeping more land in conservation easements. That's how we meet the challenge. We bring everyone into the solution. Click for Beto O`Rourke on other issues. Source: July Democratic Primary debate (first night in Detroit)

John Hickenlooper on Alternative Energy: (Energy & Oil Jun 27, 2019)
Institute wind & solar, as well as methane reductions

In Colorado, we're closing a couple of coal plants, replacing it with wind, solar and batteries and the monthly bills go down. We're building a network for electric vehicles. We are working with the oil and gas industry and we've created the first methane regulations in the country.

Methane is 25 times worse than CO2. We've got to recognize that only by bringing people together, businesses, nonprofits-- we will be doomed to failure.

Click for John Hickenlooper on other issues. Source: June Democratic Primary debate (second night in Miami)

Joe Biden on Alternative Energy: (Technology Jun 27, 2019)
Full electric vehicle future by 2030

We built the largest wind farm in the world, the largest solar energy facility in the world. We drove down the price of both of those renewable energy sources. I would immediately insist that we build 500,000 recharging stations throughout America, so that we can go to a full electric vehicle future by the year 2030. I would make sure that we invested $400 million in new science and technology, to be the exporter of the green economy that can create millions of jobs. Click for Joe Biden on other issues. Source: June Democratic Primary debate (second night in Miami)

Tim Ryan on Alternative Energy: (Energy & Oil Jun 26, 2019)
Must reconnect with working class to address climate change

Q: How do we pay for climate mitigation?

Tim Ryan: We have a perception problem with the Democratic Party. We are not connecting to the working class people in the industrial Midwest, to get those workers back on our side so we can say we're going to build electric vehicles, we're going to build solar panels. All I'm saying is here, if we don't address that fundamental problem with our connection to workers--white, black, brown, gay, straight--working-class people none of this is going to get done.

Click for Tim Ryan on other issues. Source: June Democratic Primary debate (first night in Miami)

Julian Castro on Alternative Energy: (Environment Jun 26, 2019)
Executives must deal with disasters in sustainable way

My first visit after I announced my candidacy wasn't to Iowa or New Hampshire. It was to San Juan, Puerto Rico. When I was mayor of San Antonio, we moved our local public utility, we began to shift it from coal-fired plants to solar and other renewables, and also created more than 800 jobs doing that. When I was HUD secretary, we worked on the National Disaster Resilience Competition to invest in communities that were trying to rebuild from natural disasters in a sustainable way. Click for Julian Castro on other issues. Source: June Democratic Primary debate (first night in Miami)

Michael Bennet on Alternative Energy: (Energy & Oil Jun 25, 2019)
Transition to renewable energy in a ways that create jobs

Eight out of ten Coloradans support new policies to reduce carbon emissions, and nine out of ten support more investment in renewable energy. We have seen the promise of drawing energy from cleaner and more diverse sources. Compared with other states, Colorado ranks fourth in wind jobs; tenth in oil and gas jobs; and ninth in solar jobs. Our largest utility, Xcel energy, has publicly committed to making a 100 percent carbon-free electricity by 2050, while saving its customers money. Renewable energy now drives more than $9 billion of economic activity annually; our other outdoor industries account for $28 billion. Coloradans perceive climate change as a real threat but are confident we can transition our economy in ways that will foster growth and create jobs. Click for Michael Bennet on other issues. Source: Land of Flickering Lights, by Michael Bennet, p. 75

Bernie Sanders on Alternative Energy: (Energy & Oil Apr 22, 2019)
End fossil fuel; move toward wind and solar

We have got to take on the fossil fuel industry and make it very clear that we are moving away from fossil fuel and not blaming people who work in the coal or gas or oil industry. All they are trying to do is feed their families. We can move aggressively toward wind and solar. We have got to rethink our transportation system and build the kind of state-of-the-art rail system that our country needs which will help us transport people and cargo in a much more nonpolluting way. Click for Bernie Sanders on other issues. Source: CNN Town Hall 2020: 5 candidates back-to-back

Tulsi Gabbard on Alternative Energy: (Energy & Oil Apr 18, 2019)
OFF Fossil Fuels: retrofit homes & fund new technology

Q: Do you support a federal carbon tax?

Gabbard: My OFF Fossil Fuels Act (H.R. 3671) would take the fossil-fuel tax credits that are repealed and create the OFF Fossil Fuels Fund, including low-income weatherization and retrofit assistance, electric vehicle rebate program for consumers, extension of tax credits for wind and solar energy, and environmental justice provisions for a clean energy future.

Q: Do you support increasing federal funding for clean-energy research?

Gabbard: My OFF Fossil Fuels Act states that we must invest in early-stage proof-of-concept technologies. The U.S. National Laboratories are centers of basic scientific research already working on technology programs such as grid modernization and security, battery storage, solar and wind technology efficiency. Focus on investing in early-stage breakthrough energy technologies. Funding these technologies could lead to innovations that could dramatically change how energy is generated, stored and distributed."

Click for Tulsi Gabbard on other issues. Source: 2019 "Meet the Candidates" (NY Times.com)

Kirsten Gillibrand on Alternative Energy: (Technology Apr 18, 2019)
Develop renewable energy tech; cut transportation emissions

Q: Do you support new regulations to cut greenhouse gas emissions

A: Yes, she would support additional regulations to achieve deeper cuts in emissions across the economy, including in the transportation sector.

Q: Do you support increasing federal funding for clean-energy research?

A: She strongly supports increasing our federal investment in research to develop and deploy renewable energy technologies like wind, solar, geothermal and biofuels as rapidly as possible.

Click for Kirsten Gillibrand on other issues. Source: 2019 "Meet the Candidates" (NY Times.com)

Julian Castro on Alternative Energy: (Energy & Oil Apr 11, 2019)
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.

Click for Julian Castro on other issues. Source: CNN Town Hall: 2020 presidential hopefuls

Tim Ryan on Alternative Energy: (Energy & Oil Apr 7, 2019)
Renewable energy will bring economic benefits

He wants the U.S. to harness the economic benefits of renewables. "There's so many industries out there growing. Wind and solar is growing at 25% to 30% a year. By 2030, there's gonna be 30 million electric vehicles. I want those vehicles made in the United States. I want the batteries made in the United States. I want the charging stations made in the United States." Click for Tim Ryan on other issues. Source: Axios.com "What you need to know about 2020"

Bernie Sanders on Alternative Energy: (Energy & Oil Feb 25, 2019)
Transform our energy system away from fossil fuel

We are going to have to transform our energy system away from fossil fuel to energy efficiency and sustainable energy. We know how to do that. The technology is there. That technology will only improve. Here's the other good news when we make that transformation: We're going to create millions of good-paying jobs weatherizing our homes, changing our transportation system, moving aggressively into wind and solar and other sustainable energies. Click for Bernie Sanders on other issues. Source: CNN Town Hall on 2020 Democratic presidential primary

Julian Castro on Alternative Energy: (Energy & Oil Feb 15, 2019)
Green Jobs Leadership Council: more solar; less coal

Castro created a Green Jobs Leadership Council and voted for an incentive package to bring solar panel maker Nexolon America to the city. CPS Energy (San Antonio's publicly owned energy utility) invested $50 million in alternative energy research and signed a deal for the world's largest solar installation, approved energy efficiency upgrades to three landmarks, lured green tech companies to the city, inked a deal to build five solar plants, and pledged to close one of its coal plants by 2018. Click for Julian Castro on other issues. Source: Jacobin Magazine on 2020 Democratic primary contenders

Julian Castro on Alternative Energy: (Energy & Oil Feb 15, 2019)
Supported both fossil fuel and green energy

San Antonio relied on a drilling boom in the Eagle Ford Shale, an oil and natural gas basin. It contributed to the city's poor air quality. This was Castro's "new energy economy": continued investment in and promotion of oil, natural gas, and "clean coal," partnered with a movement toward alternative energy for electricity production. It was Obama's "all of the above" energy policy, but at the municipal level. Click for Julian Castro on other issues. Source: Jacobin Magazine on 2020 Democratic primary contenders

Jay Inslee on Alternative Energy: (Energy & Oil Jan 2, 2019)
Establish solar-cell; expand use of electric ferries

[Among Democrats running for President], Inslee is the only one who has actually run a government that has made climate-change policy central. He points to the towns in Washington that have become solar-cell farms, among other accomplishments. There's also his plan to expand the use of electric ferries. "Without having a vision and having a sense of what could be, we would not be launching that effort right now," says the outgoing director of the state commerce department. "As a country, we're certainly not going to be able to do it if we're hiding from facts from the world around us."

Why climate change as a core issue? This is like gay marriage, he figures: America is at a tipping point. Things are about to change. And voters will be looking for leaders who were already out front on the issue.

Click for Jay Inslee on other issues. Source: The Atlantic on 2020 presidential hopefuls, "Climate Change"

Deb Haaland on Alternative Energy: (Energy & Oil Oct 20, 2018)
Lead the way into renewable energy era, solar and wind

New Mexico can lead the renewable energy era with massive solar and wind investments. We must move to 100% renewable energy. Wind and solar investments would create thousands of jobs for hard-working New Mexicans. Albuquerque can be the leader in hi-tech for the country. We must diversify our economy; renewable energy research, development and manufacturing, support for small businesses and development of a high-tech sector are all essential. Click for Deb Haaland on other issues. Source: Albuquerque Journal coverage of 2018 NM-1 House race

Donald Trump on Alternative Energy: (Energy & Oil Jul 13, 2017)
Claims Paris Accords costly; estimated US cost $170 billion

Trump has said that his withdrawal was motivated by the fact that the accord would be expensive, ineffective, and would cost American jobs. The World Resources Institute estimates it would cost America $170 billion. The US pulling out is largely symbolic. The world was already moving toward lower carbon emissions. World carbon emissions peaked in 2007 and have been steadily declining since then. In contrast, use of clean energy, such as solar and wind have been on a steady rise.

When answering the question about the impact of withdrawal on domestic greenhouse gas emissions, it's important to separate the withdrawal with Trump's other environmental policies. Even before the pullout, Trump administration had cut funding to EPA, discontinued the Clean Power Plan, greenlighted both the Dakota Access and Keystone pipelines, and allowed extractive operations on public land, all of which would have significant impact on US CO2 emissions regardless of the pullout.

Click for Donald Trump on other issues. Source: Foreign Policy Magazine on Trump Administration

John Hickenlooper on Alternative Energy: (Energy & Oil Jul 12, 2017)
Reduce greenhouse gas by 26% by 2025 and 35% by 2030

Gov. Hickenlooper declared that Colorado would join the U.S. Climate Alliance, a coalition supporting a global climate agreement to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

Hickenlooper's order set a goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 26 percent by 2025 compared with 2012 levels and by 35 percent by 2030. He maintained that cheap natural gas and increasingly competitive wind and solar power cost would allow the state to achieve the goals, which are similar to those set in the 2015 Paris Accord.

Click for John Hickenlooper on other issues. Source: ColoradoPolitics.com on 2018 Colorado Gubernatorial race

John Kasich on Alternative Energy: (Energy & Oil Apr 25, 2017)
1978: Citizens Committee on Energy to discuss solar & wind

[In 1978] I was going to run against a incumbent state senator named Robert O'Shaughnessy, a household name in [Ohio's Fifteenth District]. Before I started my campaign, I created a group called the Citizens Committee on Energy, which talked about solar and wind and related environmental issues. It turned out to be a meaningful platform, a way to get my name in the newspaper. The committee also served a dual purpose--it forced me to figure out if I could get people together on an issue. I'd invite various energy experts to seminars, and then I'd invite the media. I figured this was a good way to build some credibility.

Somewhere in there it occurred to me that if I was passing myself off as the chairman of the committee, I ought to be duly elected, so a few friends I'd put on the "board" of the Citizens Committee on Energy shrugged their shoulders and elected me.

Click for John Kasich on other issues. Source: Two Paths, by John Kasich, p. 62-4

Cory Booker on Alternative Energy: (Free Trade Apr 1, 2017)
Deal with China despite their cheating

BROKEN PROMISE: : Booker said on his Senate campaign website, "China's cheating--through artificially depressing its currency and other unfair trade practices--is so damaging to American workers." But in the Senate, Booker called on Vice President Joe Biden to help settle a trade dispute between the U.S. and China over solar equipment, rather than continue anti-dumping investigations and tariffs. Booker talked tough on China during the campaign, but caved in when it came to actually negotiating a deal. We label this an "evolution" where Booker accepted that dealing with China gave more leverage than pressuring China from a stand-off position.

ANALYSIS: Comparing the two contrasting statements, Booker is in effect saying "China cheats--but let's deal with them anyway." Booker's campaign statements support "fair trade" - rewriting the rules--whereas his actions support "free trade"--making SOME sort of deal despite whatever problems come up.

Click for Cory Booker on other issues. Source: Cory Booker 'Promises Broken,' by Jesse Gordon, p.129

John Kasich on Alternative Energy: (Energy & Oil Dec 27, 2016)
Keep state mandate on renewable energy

The solar industry got a boost with Gov. John Kasich's veto of a bill that would have made compliance with the state's renewable energy mandates voluntary for the next two years. Kasich broke ranks with the legislature's GOP leadership, vetoing a bill crafted by some of the state's most conservative lawmakers, who believe wind and solar companies should compete against the state's entrenched power companies on their own. Kasich's veto follows a campaign by environmental, business and consumer groups opposing the legislation. Many of them celebrated the veto on Tuesday. Here are some of their comments.

The Sierra Club Ohio Chapter: "We commend Gov. Kasich for vetoing the Ohio Legislature's attempt to tie our state to outdated, dirty, and expensive energy sources. The world is doubling down on wind, solar, and energy efficiency, and Ohio's robust manufacturing base is now in a better position to maximize that opportunity."

Click for John Kasich on other issues. Source: Cleveland Plain Dealer on 2018 Ohio gubernatorial race

Bernie Sanders on Alternative Energy: (Energy & Oil Nov 15, 2016)
Job training for transition to green energy

We have a national responsibility to make sure that livelihoods and families are helped, not hurt, by the transition to clean energy. That is why I introduced the Clean Energy Worker Just Transition Act--to provide comprehensive job training and benefits to workers as they transition to making the solar panels, wind turbines, and batteries of the twenty-first century. It will also direct resources to the most affected communities, particularly in Appalachian coal country, to clean up the disastrous environmental legacy of coal mining, and to build the infrastructure needed to attract new investment and revitalize local economies. Click for Bernie Sanders on other issues. Source: Our Revolution, by Bernie Sanders, p. 253

Hillary Clinton on Alternative Energy: (Energy & Oil Oct 9, 2016)
$60B to make US the clean energy superpower of 21st century

I will set three goals that we will achieve within ten years of taking office and which will make America the clean energy superpower of the 21st century:

Generate half of our electricity from clean sources, with half a billion solar panels installed by the end of my first term.
Cut energy waste in American homes, schools, hospitals and offices by 1/3 and make American manufacturing the cleanest and most efficient in the world.
Reduce American oil consumption by a third through cleaner fuels and more efficient cars, boilers, ships, and trucks.

To get there, my administration will implement and build on the range of pollution and efficiency standards and clean energy tax incentives that have made the US a global leader in the battle against climate change. These standards set the floor, not the ceiling. I will launch a $60 billion Clean Energy Challenge to partner with those states, cities, and rural communities that are ready to take the lead on clean energy. Click for Hillary Clinton on other issues. Source: ScienceDebate.org: 20 questions for 2016 presidential race

Hillary Clinton on Alternative Energy: (Technology Oct 9, 2016)
Inspirational, achievable, and affordable space initiatives

Q: What should America's national goals be for space exploration?

CLINTON: President Kennedy's challenge in 1962 to go to the Moon electrified the nation, prompted a long period of American leadership in science & technology, and spurred a generation of innovators. In the decades since, we have explored the sun and every planet in our solar system. As president, my administration will build on this progress, promote innovation, and advance inspirational, achievable, and affordable space initiatives. We must maintain our nation's leadership in space with a program that balances science, technology and exploration; protect our security and the future of the planet through international collaboration and Earth systems monitoring; and expand our robotic presence in the solar system. As a young girl, I was so inspired by America's leadership and accomplishments in space that I wrote to NASA about becoming an astronaut. As president, I will help inspire the next generation of young Americans.

Click for Hillary Clinton on other issues. Source: ScienceDebate.org: 20 questions for 2016 presidential race

Donald Trump on Alternative Energy: (Energy & Oil Sep 26, 2016)
America invested in solar panels and it was a disaster

CLINTON: Some country is going to be the clean-energy superpower of the 21st century. Donald thinks that climate change is a hoax perpetrated by the Chinese.

TRUMP: I did not--

CLINTON: I think it's real. I think science is real.

TRUMP: I do not say that.

CLINTON: And I think it's important that we deal with it, both at home & abroad. Here's what we can do. We can deploy a half a billion more solar panels. We can have enough clean energy to power every home. We can build a new modern electric grid. That's a lot of jobs; that's a lot of new economic activity.

TRUMP: She talks about solar panels. We invested in a solar company, our country. That was a disaster. They lost plenty of money on that one. Now, look, I'm a great believer in all forms of energy, but we're putting a lot of people out of work. Our energy policies are a disaster. Our country is losing so much in terms of energy, in terms of paying off our debt. You can't do what you're looking to do with $20 trillion in debt.

Click for Donald Trump on other issues. Source: First 2016 Presidential Debate at Hofstra University

Steve Bullock on Alternative Energy: (Energy & Oil Jun 21, 2016)
Promotes wind and solar power and clean coal for Montana

Governor Bullock wants funding to expand wind and solar power projects and find cleaner ways to burn coal. "Montanans expect that we will protect our clean air and water, our lucrative outdoor heritage, our communities and our farmers and ranchers. I am committed to sustainable and responsible development of all of our energy resources." Bullock says coal is an important part of Montana's future. But he also said the energy market is changing and there are concerns about climate change. Click for Steve Bullock on other issues. Source: Montana NPR on 2016 Montana gubernatorial race

Hillary Clinton on Alternative Energy: (Energy & Oil Mar 9, 2016)
We need a bridge from coal to natural gas to clean energy

SANDERS: What candidates are saying is if we stand up to the fossil fuel industry, and transform our energy system away from coal and oil and gas to energy efficiency and wind and solar and geothermal and other sustainable technologies, you know what happens to that Republican who listens to the scientists? That Republican loses his campaign funding from the Koch brothers. I'm the only candidate who says no president can do it all. We need a political revolution. When millions of people tell the fossil fuel industry that their short-term profits are less significant than the long-term health of this planet, we will win.

CLINTON: The clean power plan is something that Senator Sanders has said he would delay implementing, which makes no sense. We need to implement the president's executive actions and quickly move to make a bridge from coal to natural gas to clean energy. That is the way we will keep the lights on while we are transitioning to a clean energy future.

Click for Hillary Clinton on other issues. Source: 2016 PBS Democratic primary debate in Miami

Hillary Clinton on Alternative Energy: (Energy & Oil Feb 4, 2016)
Half a billion solar panels in first 4 years

Q: There are three big lifts that you've talked about: immigration, gun reform, climate change. What do you do first?

CLINTON: Well, I don't accept that premise. I think that we've got so much business we have to do. We've talked a lot tonight about what we're against. But I'm for a lot of things. I don't want to just stop bad things from happening, I want to start good things from happening. And I believe, if I'm so fortunate to get the nomination, I will begin to work immediately on putting together an agenda, beginning to talk with members of Congress and others about how we can push forward. I want to have half a billion more solar panels deployed, the first four years. I want to have enough clean energy to power every home the next four years. I want us to keep working on the Affordable Care Act, to get not only to 100 percent coverage, but bring down the costs of prescription drugs and out-of-pocket costs.

Click for Hillary Clinton on other issues. Source: MSNBC Democratic primary debate in New Hampshire

John Hickenlooper on Alternative Energy: (Energy & Oil Jan 14, 2016)
Pursuing renewables; solar and wind

Upholding the highest public health and environmental standards, while promoting innovative energy development, is a cornerstone of our energy strategy. That means moving toward a cleaner, more sustainable energy future and Colorado has already risen to this challenge. We're a leader in the pursuit and promise of renewable energy. Sunrun is bringing 800 new solar jobs to our state. And Vestas Wind Systems added 350 new jobs at their Windsor, Brighton and Pueblo facilities. Click for John Hickenlooper on other issues. Source: 2016 State of the State speech to Colorado legislature

Barack Obama on Alternative Energy: (Energy & Oil Jan 12, 2016)
7 years of investment in solar & wind nationwide

Seven years ago, we made the single biggest investment in clean energy in our history. Here are the results. In fields from Iowa to Texas, wind power is now cheaper than dirtier, conventional power. On rooftops from Arizona to New York, solar is saving Americans tens of millions of dollars a year on their energy bills and employs more Americans than coal--in jobs that pay better than average.

We're taking steps to give homeowners the freedom to generate and store their own energy--something, by the way, that environmentalists and Tea Partiers have teamed up to support. And meanwhile, we've cut our imports of foreign oil by nearly 60 percent and cut carbon pollution more than any other country on Earth. Gas under $2 a gallon ain't bad either.

Click for Barack Obama on other issues. Source: 2016 State of the Union address

John Kasich on Alternative Energy: (Energy & Oil Oct 20, 2015)
Mandate that electric utilities use at least 8.5% renewables

Gov. John Kasich's position is that a proposed, indefinite halt to Ohio's mandate that utilities get more power from renewable sources like wind, solar and new technology is "unacceptable."

Last year, the Republican-controlled General Assembly enacted a two-year timeout in state law that required utilities to find at least 25 percent of their power from renewable or advanced technology sources by the year 2025. That two-year freeze is set to expire at the end of 2016, at which point the annual benchmarks that utilities must achieve would resume if the legislature doesn't act.

A special legislative panel, however, recently recommended keeping the freeze in place indefinitely. Mr. Kasich said the indefinite freeze would be "unacceptable," but he hasn't indicated what he expects to see instead.

[OnTheIssues follow-up: Gov. Kasich vetoed the indefinite freeze in 2016; the Ohio legislature then passed a compromise measure to reduce the renewable standard to 8.5% by 2022].

Click for John Kasich on other issues. Source: Toledo Blade on 2018 Ohio Gubernatorial race

Donald Trump on Alternative Energy: (Energy & Oil Aug 10, 2015)
Solar hasn't caught on because it has a 32-year payback

In March 2012, Trump said, "Solar hasn't caught on because it's a 32-year payback. Who wants a 32-year payback? The fact is, the technology is not there yet. Wind farms are hurting the country."

Trump has simply dismissed solar as an "unproven technology" despite solar's decades of rock-solid reliability. His 32 year payback assessment, even in 2012, did not take into account any of the tax incentives or rebates available to most Americans. One can only assume that his criticisms of the government tax breaks for solar are strictly political in motivation, since his real estate empire is built on the hundred of millions of dollars of taxpayer subsidies his projects receive.

Click for Donald Trump on other issues. Source: 2015 SolarTribune.com on 2016 presidential hopefuls

John Kasich on Alternative Energy: (Energy & Oil Aug 9, 2015)
Climate change is a real issue, but the extent is unproven

I think that man absolutely affects the environment. But as to whether, you know, what the impact is, the overall impact, I think that's a legitimate debate. But what I do think is, you know, in my state of Ohio, you know, we preciously take care of Lake Erie. We've reduced emissions by 30% over the last ten years. We believe in alternative energy. So of course we have to be sensitive to it. But we don't want to destroy people's jobs based on some theory that's not proven. Click for John Kasich on other issues. Source: Meet the Press 2015 interviews of 2016 presidential hopefuls

Jay Inslee on Alternative Energy: (Energy & Oil Jun 24, 2015)
Supports oil refinery (plus biofuel) along Columbia River

Inslee supports an oil refinery along the majestic Columbia River. The proposed facility would produce 40-45,000 barrels of oil/day from Bakken crude delivered by rail cars. The "green" pitch: the refinery would also refine biofuel, which will lower the plant's overall carbon footprint.

Sounds a little back door doesn't it? This is the same Jay Inslee who proudly wears the mantle of "Greenest Governor" and claims to be an ardent opponent of fossil fuels? It doesn't add up. But it's election season.

Click for Jay Inslee on other issues. Source: Huffington Post on 2016 Washington gubernatorial race

Barack Obama on Alternative Energy: (Technology Jan 20, 2015)
Out to space not just to visit; but to stay

I want Americans to win the race for the kinds of discoveries that unleash new jobs--pushing out into the Solar System not just to visit, but to stay. Last month, we launched a new spacecraft as part of a re-energized space program that will send American astronauts to Mars. In two months, to prepare us for those missions, Scott Kelly will begin a year-long stay in space. Good luck, Captain--and make sure to Instagram it. Click for Barack Obama on other issues. Source: 2015 State of the Union address

Barack Obama on Alternative Energy: (Energy & Oil Jan 28, 2014)
Natural gas is a "bridge fuel"; then go solar

One of the biggest factors in bringing more jobs back is our commitment to American energy. The all-of-the-above energy strategy I announced a few years ago is working, and today, America is closer to energy independence than we've been in decades.

One of the reasons why is natural gas--if extracted safely, it's the bridge fuel that can power our economy with less of the carbon pollution that causes climate change.

It's not just oil and natural gas production that's booming; we're becoming a global leader in solar, too. Every four minutes, another American home or business goes solar; every panel pounded into place by a worker whose job can't be outsourced. Let's continue that progress with a smarter tax policy that stops giving $4 billion a year to fossil fuel industries that don't need it, so that we can invest more in fuels of the future that do.

Click for Barack Obama on other issues. Source: 2014 State of the Union address

Bill de Blasio on Alternative Energy: (Energy & Oil Oct 22, 2013)
No to fracking; yes to wind, solar, & geothermal

Harnessing the Power of the Purse to Promote Energy Efficiency: The City of New York has enormous leverage through its purchasing power to promote the use of green products and increase energy efficiency.
Commit to Renewable Energy: The green collar economy begins with a clear commitment to alternative energy sources. Bill de Blasio will expand the city's investment in large-scale clean energy production, including wind, solar, geothermal, hydropower and biofuels.
Uphold Moratorium on Hydraulic Fracturing: In 2009, Bill de Blasio sponsored the resolution calling on federal and state agencies to assess the risks posed by hydrofracking to drinking water, and to apply appropriate regulations. He supports the two-year fracking moratorium recently passed by the Assembly, and hopes the Senate will also approve the measure. Questions about health and environ-mental safety remain unanswered, and we can't afford to get this wrong.

Click for Bill de Blasio on other issues. Source: 2013 Mayoral campaign website, www.billdeblasio.com

Barack Obama on Alternative Energy: (Energy & Oil Feb 13, 2013)
FactCheck: Wind & solar doubled, but now only 1.4% of energy

Obama said "We have doubled . the amount of renewable energy we generate from sources like wind and solar." True, but they're still a very small percentage of energy production and consumption in the U.S.

We looked at this claim when Obama made it several times on the presidential campaign trail last fall. We found that wind and solar energy generation had doubled from 2008 to 2011. Consumption for wind also doubled, and it nearly doubled for solar.

But wind and solar were very small portions of energy generated before--and even after--that increase. Wind was 13% of all renewable energy generated in 2011. (Renewable includes biomass, such as ethanol, and hydro.) Solar was 1.3% of renewable energy generated. Renewable energy altogether accounted for just 9% of U.S. energy consumption in 2011.

Click for Barack Obama on other issues. Source: FactCheck.org on 2013 State of the Union Address

Tulsi Gabbard on Alternative Energy: (Energy & Oil Nov 6, 2012)
Tax incentives for wind, solar, biomass and wave energy

I will work to ensure that Hawai`i becomes the destination of choice for green energy startups, including wind, solar, biomass and wave energy technology. As a Congressional representative, I will work to provide tax and other incentives for green and high technology businesses to locate here. Such industries would not only provide good jobs for our people, but will help us achieve greater energy self-sufficiency. Click for Tulsi Gabbard on other issues. Source: 2012 House campaign website, votetulsi.com, "Issues"

Barack Obama on Alternative Energy: (Energy & Oil Oct 16, 2012)
Invest in clean energy because China & Germany will

Q: Your energy secretary, Steven Chu, states it's not policy of his department to help lower gas prices. Do you agree?

OBAMA: We can't just produce traditional source of energy. We've also got to look to the future. That's why we doubled fuel efficiency standards on cars. That means that in the middle of the next decade, any car you buy, you're going to end up going twice as far on a gallon of gas. That's why we doubled clean energy production like wind and solar and biofuels. Now, Governor Romney will say he's got an all-of-the-above plan, but he's got the oil and gas part, but he doesn't have the clean energy part. And if we are only thinking about tomorrow or the next day and not thinking about 10 years from now, we're not going to control our own economic future. Because China, Germany, they're making these investments. And I'm not going to cede those jobs of the future to those countries. That's going to make sure that you're not paying as much for gas.

Click for Barack Obama on other issues. Source: Second Obama-Romney 2012 debate

Elizabeth Warren on Alternative Energy: (Energy & Oil Sep 25, 2012)
Transition to green energy now for long-term growth

Will we continue to subsidize the dirty fossil fuels of the past, or will we transition to 21st century clean, renewable energy? We know that we can generate power with alternative energy sources like wind, solar, and hydropower. We know that we can make energy usage more efficient. If we commit ourselves to clean energy and energy efficiency now, in the long run we can reduce price swings and costs. (from Elizabeth Warren's Issues Section on Energy & The Environment) Click for Elizabeth Warren on other issues. Source: GreenLifestyleChanges.com on 2016 Veepstakes

Barack Obama on Alternative Energy: (Energy & Oil Sep 6, 2012)
Develop 100-year natural gas supply; it's beneath our feet

We're offering a better path, a future where we keep investing in wind and solar and clean coal; where farmers and scientists harness new biofuels to power our cars and trucks; where construction workers build homes and factories that waste less energy; where we develop a 100-year supply of natural gas that's right beneath our feet. If you choose this path, we can cut our oil imports in half by 2020 and support more than 600,000 new jobs in natural gas alone.

And yes, my plan will continue to reduce the carbon pollution that is heating our planet because climate change is not a hoax. More droughts and floods and wildfires are not a joke. They're a threat to our children's future. And in this election, you can do something about it.

Click for Barack Obama on other issues. Source: 2012 Democratic National Convention speech

Tom Steyer on Alternative Energy: (Energy & Oil Sep 5, 2012)
America's dependence on foreign oil is lowest in two decades

Last week in Tampa [at the Republican National Convention], you didn't hear any plans that would create jobs now or a long-term plan for energy security. You also didn't hear very many facts. So here are a few: America's dependence on foreign oil is the lowest in two decades. Even as we've tightened our belts elsewhere, America has made record investments in clean energy technologies from wind to solar to biofuels. We're modernizing our electrical grid to harness more renewable power sources. We're doubling fuel-efficiency standards for cars and trucks. And domestic production of natural gas is at an all-time high--natural gas, which, if developed safely and responsibly, could help bridge our energy present to our energy future. Click for Tom Steyer on other issues. Source: Speech at the 2012 Democratic National Convention

Barack Obama on Alternative Energy: (Energy & Oil Sep 4, 2012)
All-of-the-above approach to reduce foreign dependence

Q: What policies would you support to meet the demand for energy while ensuring an economically and environmentally sustainable future?

A: Since taking office, I have supported an all-of-the-above energy approach that will allow us to take control of our energy future, one where we safely and responsibly develop America's many energy resources--including natural gas, wind, solar, oil, clean coal, and biofuels--while investing in clean energy and increasing fuel efficiency standards to reduce our dependence on foreign oil. I know the country that harnesses the power of clean, renewable energy will lead the global economy in the 21st century. That's why I have made the largest investment in clean energy and energy efficiency in American history and proposed an ambitious Clean Energy Standard to generate 80 percent of our electricity from clean energy sources like wind, solar, clean coal, and natural gas by 2035.

Click for Barack Obama on other issues. Source: The Top American Science Questions, by sciencedebate.org

Rand Paul on Alternative Energy: (Energy & Oil Mar 20, 2012)
End subsidies to solar companies; they're donation kickbacks

The export-import bank is subsidizing [some] start-up companies. One of them is called First Solar. You may have heard that a lot of these solar companies are big contributors to President Obama. I wonder if that has something to do with them getting loans. But here is the loan that First Solar gets from export-import.

You know what? They get paid and they have a loan that says that they're going to make solar panels, and then who is going to buy the solar panels? Themselves. They made a deal with another company they own, and the taxpayers are stuck financing a loan, so First Solar can make solar panels and then buy them from themselves. Well, that sounds like a good deal. You get the government to subsidize a loan to buy your own product.

Click for Rand Paul on other issues. Source: 2012 official Senate press release, "Subsidizing MNCs"

Joe Biden on Alternative Energy: (Energy & Oil Feb 28, 2012)
Unprecedented investment in renewable energy

Obama announced that as part of his clean energy push, "You show us the best ideas to change your game on the ground; we'll show you the money. We will show you the money."

The solar company Solyndra was one of those companies that was shown the money at the beginning of Obama's presidency, as it was a recipient of the stimulus under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. At the time, Solyndra was touted as the model to follow by the Administration for its green energy economy.

Joe Biden said that the loan guarantee to Solyndra was an "unprecedented investment this Administration is making in renewable energy and exactly what the Recovery Act is all about."

Now Solyndra has completely collapsed and gone bankrupt; it is clear that the President's policies of "showing the money" has meant throwing the money away. In the end, Solyndra is more than just a bankrupt company: it is a metaphor for the failure of Obama's war on affordable energy and American fossil fuel jobs.

Click for Joe Biden on other issues. Source: The Greatest Hoax, by James Inhofe, p.162-163

Barack Obama on Alternative Energy: (Energy & Oil Jan 24, 2012)
Don't cede wind, or solar, or battery industry to foreigners

It was public research dollars, over the course of 30 years, that helped develop the technologies to extract natural gas out of shale rock--reminding us that Government support is critical in helping businesses get new energy ideas off the ground. Our experience with shale gas shows us that the payoffs on these public investments don't always come right away. Some technologies don't pan out; some companies fail.

But I will not walk away from the promise of clean energy. I will not cede the wind or solar or battery industry to China or Germany because we refuse to make the same commitment here. We have subsidized oil companies for a century. That's long enough. It's time to end the taxpayer giveaways to an industry that's rarely been more profitable, and double-down on a clean energy industry that's never been more promising.

Click for Barack Obama on other issues. Source: 2012 State of the Union speech

Barack Obama on Alternative Energy: (Energy & Oil Jan 26, 2011)
Subsidize clean energy by canceling oil subsidies

Already, we're seeing the promise of renewable energy. We're issuing a challenge. We're telling America's scientists and engineers that if they assemble teams of the best minds in their fields, and focus on the hardest problems in clean energy, we'll fun the Apollo projects of our time.

With more research and incentives, we can break our dependence on oil with biofuels, and become the first country to have a million electric vehicles on the road by 2015.

We need to get behind this innovation. And to help pay for it, I'm asking Congress to eliminate the billions in taxpayer dollars we currently give to oil companies. I don't know if you've noticed, but they're doing just fine on their own. So instead of subsidizing yesterday's energy, let's invest in tomorrow's.

Clean energy breakthroughs will only translate into clean energy jobs if businesses know there will be a market. So tonight, I set a new goal: By 2035, 80% of America's electricity will come from clean energy sources.

Click for Barack Obama on other issues. Source: 2011 State of the Union speech

John Hickenlooper on Alternative Energy: (Energy & Oil Nov 2, 2010)
As exploration geologist: focus on wind, solar, gas, coal

As both a consumer and major producer of energy, Colorado is uniquely situated to develop an energy policy that will become a model for the country. Colorado's strengths are our great natural resources (wind, solar, gas, coal), combined with world class research institutions, such as the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, Colorado School of Mines, the University of Colorado, Colorado State University, and a business friendly environment. John's background as an entrepreneur and exploration geologist will help to foster the collaboration between our knowledge capital, entrepreneurial spirit and our abundant resource base to solidify our place as a world-class energy center. Our Energy Policy incorporates the State's environmental issues, its economic development and the cost to all consumers. It recognizes that energy production requires a viable water supply, which must be carefully utilized, and that energy demand must be reduced through conservation and increased efficiency. Click for John Hickenlooper on other issues. Source: 2010 Gubernatorial campaign site hickenlooperforcolorado.com

Cory Booker on Alternative Energy: (Environment Feb 9, 2010)
Work with Urban Environmental Institute on solar technology

We are creating job opportunities for Newark residents in the New Green economy. We attracted two new solar companies to our City. Another illustration of our job creation efforts is our City's newly constructed motors garage on Wilson Avenue. This facility, built using local contractors and local resident labor, contains new solar technology installed by the Urban Environmental Institute, a program employing and training our Newark youth in the growing industry of solar installation. Click for Cory Booker on other issues. Source: 2010 State of the City Address at Newark Symphony Hall

Barack Obama on Alternative Energy: (Energy & Oil Jan 27, 2010)
More incentives for clean energy, including nuclear

To create more clean energy jobs, we need more production, more efficiency, more incentives. And that means building a new generation of safe, clean nuclear power plants in this country. It means making tough decisions about opening new offshore areas for oil and gas development. It means continued investment in advanced biofuels and clean coal technologies. And, yes, it means passing a comprehensive energy and climate bill with incentives that will finally make clean energy profitable. Click for Barack Obama on other issues. Source: 2010 State of the Union Address

Deval Patrick on Alternative Energy: (Energy & Oil Jul 16, 2009)
Develop solar power projects to generate 250 MW by 2017

Attorney General Martha Coakley and Governor Deval Patrick today announced a commitment to jointly develop large scale solar photovoltaic (PV) power installations through a new statewide entity operating in collaboration with the state's four investor-owned electric distribution utilities. This plan will maximize the benefits of renewable power for ratepayers across the state authorized by the Green Communities Act and help meet Governor Patrick's goal of 250 MW of solar generation installed in the Commonwealth by 2017.

"Development of solar generation through a statewide pool will drive down costs through economies of scale and spread the costs and benefits across the broadest base of customers," said Attorney General Coakley.

"Solar power is a key component of our clean energy future," said Governor Deval Patrick; the project is "an innovative new model to bring renewable energy--and the jobs that come with it--across the state at the lowest cost possible."

Click for Deval Patrick on other issues. Source: Attorney General Press release on website www.mass.gov

Barack Obama on Alternative Energy: (Education Feb 24, 2009)
$2,500 tax credit for all four years of college

Over the next two years, my economic plan will save or create 3.5 million jobs. More than 90 percent of these jobs will be in the private sector--jobs rebuilding our roads and bridges; constructing wind turbines and solar panels; laying broadband and expanding mass transit.

Because of this plan, there are teachers who can now keep their jobs and educate our kids. Health care professionals can continue caring for our sick.

Because of this plan, 95 percent of working households in America will receive a tax cut--a tax cut that you will see in your paychecks beginning on April 1st.

Because of this plan, families who are struggling to pay tuition costs will receive a $2,500 tax credit for all four years of college. And Americans who have lost their jobs in this recession will be able to receive extended unemployment benefits and continued health care coverage to help them weather this storm.

Click for Barack Obama on other issues. Source: 2009 State of the Union address

Barack Obama on Alternative Energy: (Jobs Feb 24, 2009)
FactCheck: Economic plan may create only 2.2M jobs, not 3.5M

Obama continued his recent habit of asserting projections as fact. Obama said, "This plan will save or create 3.5 million jobs. More than 90 percent of these jobs will be in the private sector, jobs rebuilding our roads and bridges, constructing wind turbines and solar panels, laying broadband and expanding mass transit."

But Obama's numbers are not certain. The estimate of 3.5 million jobs is backed up by projections from different economists, but others downgraded his job estimate to 2.2 million once the stimulus legislation was finalized. It's worth noting that even Nobel-winning economists disagree sharply about macroeconomic projections. That's because macroeconomics is still a relatively new discipline. There is limited data, and even less agreement about what the available data actually mean.

Click for Barack Obama on other issues. Source: FactCheck.org on 2009 State of the Union address

Deval Patrick on Alternative Energy: (Technology Jan 1, 2009)
Invest in broadband, wind turbines, roads & rails

I asked you to invest significantly over the next few years in expanding broadband access, and restoring our roads, rails and bridges--and you did.

At the federal level, we are working hard to help shape a federal stimulus package to bridge us to a better economy. If and when that package is passed, we will be ready to get projects underway and put people to work.

That means jobs extending broadband services; jobs installing solar panels, wind turbines, and weather stripping; jobs rebuilding roads, rails and bridges; jobs modernizing our health care records management system and building schools.

Of course, our job in state government demands more than waiting for a federal lifeline. We have launched one billion dollars of capital projects to start over the first 6 months of this year, creating new jobs and making it more attractive for companies and families to put down stakes in Massachusetts.

Click for Deval Patrick on other issues. Source: 2009 State of the State speech to Massachusetts Legislature

Joe Biden on Alternative Energy: (Energy & Oil Oct 2, 2008)
Obama believes in investing in alternative energy

BIDEN: We have 3 percent of the world�s oil reserves. We consume 25% of the oil. John has voted 20 times in the last decade-and-a-half against funding alternative energy sources, clean energy sources, wind, solar, biofuels. Obama believes by investing in clean coal and safe nuclear, we can not only create jobs in wind and solar here, we can export it.

PALIN: I was the first governor to form a climate change sub-cabinet to start dealing with the impacts. We�ve got to reduce emissions. John McCain is right there with an �all of the above� approach to deal with climate change impacts. As we rely more on other countries that don�t care as much about the climate as we do, we�re allowing them to produce and to emit and even pollute more than America would ever stand for. It�s all the more reason that we have an �all of the above� approach, tapping into alternative sources of energy and conserving fuel, conserving our petroleum products and our hydrocarbons so that we can clean up this planet

Click for Joe Biden on other issues. Source: 2008 Vice Presidential debate against Sarah Palin

Joe Biden on Alternative Energy: (Principles & Values Aug 27, 2008)
We need a wise leader like Obama, not just a good soldier

These times require more than a good soldier. They require a wise leader. A leader who can change, make the change that everybody knows we need. Obama is going to deliver that change. He will reform our tax code. He will cut taxes for 95% of the American people who draw a pay check. Obama will transform our economy by making alternative energy a national priority and in the process creating 5 million new jobs and finally freeing us from the grip of foreign oil. Obama knows that any country that out teaches us today, will out compete us tomorrow. That�s why he�ll invest in the next generation of teachers and why he�ll make college more affordable. That�s the change we need. Obama will bring down health care cost by $2,500 for the average family and at long last deliver affordable, accessible health care for every American. That�s the change we need. Barack will put more cops on the street, put security back in social security and he�ll never ever give up until we achieve equal pay for women. Click for Joe Biden on other issues. Source: Speech at 2008 Democratic National Convention

Barack Obama on Alternative Energy: (Energy & Oil Jul 1, 2008)
Include clean coal in clean energy future

Obama's plan to invest in a clean energy future and in renewable and alternative energies states that he will:

Invest $150 billion over ten years in clean energy: Obama will advance the next generation of biofuels & fuel infrastructure, accelerate the commercialization of plug-in hybrids, promote development of commercial-scale renewable energy, invest in low-emission coal plants, and begin the transition to a new digital electricity grid.
Invest in a skilled clean technologies workforce: Obama will use proceeds from the cap and trade auction program to invest in job training and transition programs to help workers and industries adapt to clean technology development and production.
Develop and deploy clean coal: Commercialize and deploy low-carbon coal technologies.
Deploy cellulosic ethanol: Obama will invest federal resources, including tax incentives, cash prizes, & government contracts into developing the first 2 billion gallons of cellulosic ethanol into the system by 2013.

Click for Barack Obama on other issues. Source: Obamanomics, by John R. Talbott, p.132-133

Barack Obama on Alternative Energy: (Energy & Oil May 4, 2008)
Figure out how to sequester carbon and burn clean coal

Q: In terms of global warming, you�ve talked about wind and solar and biofuels. What about nuclear?

A: I think we do have to look at nuclear, and what we�ve got to figure out is can we store the material properly? Can we make sure that they�re secure? Can we deal with the expense? My attitude when it comes to energy is there�s no silver bullet. We�ve got to look at every possible option. You know, I�ve said the same thing about coal. I have a aggressive goal of reducing carbon emissions, and coal is a dirty fuel right now. But if we can figure out how to sequester carbon and burn clean coal, we�re the Saudi Arabia of coal, and I don�t think that we can dismiss out of hand the use of coal as part of our energy mix. What we are going to have to understand, though, is that global warming is real, it is serious and that whatever options we come up with, if they are not addressing the fact that the planet is getting warmer, then we are failing not just this generation, but future generations.

Click for Barack Obama on other issues. Source: Meet the Press: 2008 �Meet the Candidates� series

Barack Obama on Alternative Energy: (Environment May 4, 2008)
Willing to suspend ethanol subsidy to keep food prices down

Q: Ethanol usage in gas is criticized for raising food prices. Would you be willing to change ethanol subsidies so that people are not using corn for ethanol, & lowering food prices?

A: We�ve got rising food prices here in the US. In other countries we�re seeing riots because of the lack of food supplies. So this is something that we�re going to have to deal with. There are a number of factors that go into this. Changes in climate are contributing. There�s no doubt that biofuels may be contributing to it. My top priority is making sure that people are able to get enough to eat. And if it turns out that we�ve got to make changes in our ethanol policy to help people get something to eat, then that�s got to be the step we take. But I also believe that ethanol has been a important transitional tool for us to start dealing with our long-term energy crisis ultimately. Over time we�re going to shift to cellulosic ethanol, where we�re not using food stocks but we�re using wood chips & prairie grass.

Click for Barack Obama on other issues. Source: Meet the Press: 2008 �Meet the Candidates� series

Barack Obama on Alternative Energy: (Energy & Oil Jul 23, 2007)
Explore nuclear power as part of alternative energy mix

Q: What about nuclear power as an alternative energy source?

A: I actually think that we should explore nuclear power as part of the energy mix. There are no silver bullets to this issue. We have to develop solar. I have proposed drastically increasing fuel efficiency standards on cars, an aggressive cap on the amount of greenhouse gases that can be emitted. But we�re going to have to try a series of different approaches.

Click for Barack Obama on other issues. Source: 2007 YouTube Democratic Primary debate, Charleston SC

Hillary Clinton on Alternative Energy: (Energy & Oil Jul 23, 2007)
Agnostic about nuclear power until waste & cost issue solved

Q: What about nuclear power as an alternative energy source?

A: I�m agnostic about nuclear power. Until we figure out what we�re going to do with the waste and the cost, it�s very hard to see nuclear as a part of our future. But that�s where American technology comes in. Let�s figure out what we�re going to do about the waste and the cost if we think nuclear should be a part of the solution.

Click for Hillary Clinton on other issues. Source: 2007 YouTube Democratic Primary debate, Charleston SC

Hillary Clinton on Alternative Energy: (Energy & Oil Jun 8, 2007)
Energy Independence 2020: $50B for Strategic Energy Fund

In Dec. 2005, Hillary hooked up with an alliance of environmentalists and unions to help unveil a new Democratic plan, �Energy Independence 2020.�

[In a speech introducing the plan,] after praising solar power and wind technology, Hillary turned her attention to her villains--the oil companies--and discussed the legislation she hoped to pass that would force them to change their ways. Unless they diversified away from fossil fuels and into preferred, renewable technologies, her bill would require that they be assessed heavy windfall-profits taxes. This new revenue source, estimated at $50 billion, would finance a government energy fund that invested in innovative energy research.

Hillary introduced her promised legislation to create a federal �Strategic Energy Fund� financed by oil company taxes. But her energy bill, while music to the ears of the Left, overreached her colleagues. Hillary could not find another senator to cosponsor her bill.

Click for Hillary Clinton on other issues. Source: Her Way, by Jeff Gerth & Don Van Natta, p.279-283

Jennifer Granholm on Alternative Energy: (Energy & Oil Nov 7, 2006)
21st Century alternative/ renewable Energy Plan

Granholm issued an Executive Directive calling for the development of a 21st Century Energy Plan for Michigan. This plan calls for the development of an energy plan for the state of Michigan by the end of 2006. The plan will determine Michigan�s capacity need; renewable energy sources; energy efficiency and load management; and alternative energy technologies. Click for Jennifer Granholm on other issues. Source: 2006 Gubernatorial campaign website, granholmforgov.com

Bill Nelson on Alternative Energy: (Energy & Oil Oct 23, 2006)
We can�t drill, drill, drill our way to oil independence

Q: Both of you agreed to allow oil drilling, at a distance, off Florida�s coast. Should we drill elsewhere, or wean America off of oil?

HARRIS: There are a number of alternatives to drilling in the Gulf, including wind and solar and biofuels. But very importantly, if we don�t want to drill in the Gulf, there�s an enormous opportunity to drill in ANWR. It�s the equivalent to having a football field and putting a postage stamp in the middle of it. That would supply the equivalent of 29 years of energy to Florida. Unfortunately, my opponent continues to vote against exciting opportunities like that.

NELSON: The problem with folks who want to drill, drill, drill is that the US only has 3% of the world�s oil reserves but consumes 25% of the world�s oil production. It doesn�t take a mathematical genius to understand you can�t drill your way out of the problem. You�ve got to go to the alternative sources, such as ethanol. Hybrids. Plug-in hybrids. Utilizing more conservation.

Click for Bill Nelson on other issues. Source: FL 2006 Senate Debate moderated by PBS� Linda O�Brien

Amy Klobuchar on Alternative Energy: (Energy & Oil Jan 18, 2006)
Invest in homegrown, renewable energy sources

I will fight to expand incentives for investment in homegrown, renewable energy sources and technology. While the recently passed energy bill includes a number of provisions that will help promote homegrown Minnesota energy, I believe we need to do more. Here in Minnesota, we have the ability to produce a wide variety of homegrown energy, including ethanol, biodiesel, wind, solar and biomass. This will be a huge source of jobs in Minnesota for decades to come. Click for Amy Klobuchar on other issues. Source: 2006 Senate campaign website, www.amyklobuchar.com, �Issues�

Barack Obama on Alternative Energy: (Energy & Oil Jan 6, 2006)
Cap-and-trade is more specific on reducing greenhouse gases

I proposed a cap-and-trade system, because you can be very specific in terms of how to reduce the greenhouse gases by a particular level. What you have to do is you have to combine it with a 100% auction. Every little bit of pollution sent up into the atmosphere, that polluter is getting charged for it. Not only does that ensure that they don�t game the system, but you�re also generating billions of dollars that can be invested in solar & wind & biodiesel. On a carbon tax, the cost will be passed on to consumers. Under a cap-and-trade, plants are going to have to retrofit their equipment. That�s going to cost money, and they will pass it onto consumers. We have an obligation to use some of the money that we generate to shield low-income and fixed-income individuals from higher electricity prices. We�re also going to have to ask the American people to change how they use energy. Everybody is going to have to change their light bulbs and insulate their homes. It�s a sacrifice that we can meet Click for Barack Obama on other issues. Source: 2008 Facebook/WMUR-NH Democratic primary debate

Jennifer Granholm on Alternative Energy: (Energy & Oil Oct 1, 2005)
Irresistible tax credits for wind, solar, & biofuels

We passed a renewable portfolio standard (RPS), which required that the state acquire a modest 10% of its energy from renewable sources by 2015. The new standard ensured that solar, wind, and other providers would find a ready market for their offerings.

Under Pres. Obama, the federal Department of Energy also offered competitive grants for renewable energy manufacturing as part of the Recovery Act. I asked our legislature to create irresistible state tax credits for wind, solar, and biofuels, as well as for advanced energy storage systems (such as the lithium-ion battery used in an electric car). Expanding our private-public partnerships, we created 13 Centers of Energy Excellence to help commercialize universities' breakthrough technologies in clean energy.

A unique strength that only government can provide is the capacity to think systematically about the entire value chain and seek opportunities to strengthen each link in that chain through incentivizing "clusters" of related companies.

Click for Jennifer Granholm on other issues. Source: A Governor's Story, by Jennifer Granholm, p.257

Additional quotations related to Alternative Energy issues can be found under Energy & Oil. Click here for definitions & background information on Energy & Oil.
*Candidates on Energy & Oil:*
*Related issues:* Animal Rights Energy Independence Global Warming Green New Deal Mass Transit Natural Resources Nuclear Energy & Weapons Paris Accord Plastic Waste	*2020 Presidential primary contenders:* Mayor Mike Bloomberg (I-NYC) Mayor Pete Buttigieg (D-IN) Sen.Cory Booker (D-NJ) Secy.Julian Castro (D-TX) Rep.Tulsi Gabbard (D-HI) Sen.Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) Gov.John Hickenlooper (D-CO) Sen.Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) Rep.Beto O`Rourke (D-TX) Sen.Bernie Sanders (I-VT) Rep.Joe Walsh (R-IL) Sen.Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) Gov.Bill Weld (R-MA&L-NY) CEO Andrew Yang (D-NY)	2020 Presidential Nominees: V.P.Joe Biden (D-DE for President) CEO Don Blankenship (Constitution Party) Rocky De La Fuente (Alliance/Reform Party) Howie Hawkins (Green Party) Sen.Kamala Harris (D-CA for V.P.) Jo Jorgensen (Libertarian Party) V.P.Mike Pence (R-IN for re-election) Gloria La Riva (Socialism and Liberation) Pres.Donald Trump (R-NY for re-election) Kanye West (Birthday Party)	*Other Topics in the News:* Black Lives Matter China Coronavirus Pandemic Energy Independence Gay Rights Global Warming Illegal Immigrants Iranian Nukes Israel/Palestine North Korea ObamaCare Russia Second Amendment Supreme Court Bailout_+_Stimulus
Please consider volunteering for OnTheIssues! Click for details -- or send donations to: 1770 Mass Ave. #630, Cambridge MA 02140 E-mail: submit@OnTheIssues.org (We rely on your support!)

Page last updated: Feb 28, 2022

Error processing SSI file

Topics in the News: Alternative Energy

Joe Biden on Alternative Energy: (Free Trade Dec 23, 2021) Ban trade from Xinjiang; plus diplomatic boycott of Olympics

Vladimir Putin on Alternative Energy: (Energy & Oil Apr 21, 2021) We'll end up in caves if we rely on solar/wind power

Donald Trump on Alternative Energy: (Energy & Oil Oct 22, 2020) Wind power kills birds; solar can't run factories

Donald Trump on Alternative Energy: (Energy & Oil Oct 22, 2020) Solar cannot power the economy like oil

Joe Biden on Alternative Energy: (Energy & Oil Oct 15, 2020) Weatherize 4 million buildings and 2 million homes

Joe Biden on Alternative Energy: (Energy & Oil Oct 15, 2020) I pushed the cost of wind & solar below cost of oil

Justin Amash on Alternative Energy: (Energy & Oil May 1, 2020) Loves wind, solar, and nuclear, via private companies

Bernie Sanders on Alternative Energy: (Energy & Oil Mar 15, 2020) Transform our energy system, as quickly as we humanly can

Mike Bloomberg on Alternative Energy: (Energy & Oil Feb 19, 2020) Outdated solar arrays are closing because they lose money

Joe Biden on Alternative Energy: (Energy & Oil Feb 19, 2020) Invest in batteries to transmit solar power

Deval Patrick on Alternative Energy: (Energy & Oil Feb 6, 2020) Massachusetts met Paris Climate rules while he was Governor

Andrew Yang on Alternative Energy: (Energy & Oil Feb 5, 2020) Move subsidies from fossil fuel to wind and solar

Gina Raimondo on Alternative Energy: (Technology Jan 14, 2020) Fixed roads and bridges; now let's do public transportation

Tom Steyer on Alternative Energy: (Energy & Oil Dec 19, 2019) Nuclear isn't competitive: focus on wind & solar & batteries

Joe Biden on Alternative Energy: (Energy & Oil Dec 19, 2019) Tax credits for solar power on homes

Tom Steyer on Alternative Energy: (Environment Nov 7, 2019) Nuclear energy is risky & not cost competitive

Pete Buttigieg on Alternative Energy: (Energy & Oil Nov 4, 2019) Trump's EPA small refinery waivers benefitted big oil

Beto O`Rourke on Alternative Energy: (Energy & Oil Sep 4, 2019) Use cap and trade revenue to underwrite transition economy

Bernie Sanders on Alternative Energy: (Energy & Oil Sep 4, 2019) Government loans to help people erect solar panels

Bernie Sanders on Alternative Energy: (Environment Sep 4, 2019) Deal with existing nuclear waste before creating any more

Amy Klobuchar on Alternative Energy: (Jobs Sep 4, 2019) Focus on rural & job aspects of green energy transition

Tim Ryan on Alternative Energy: (Technology Aug 25, 2019) Chief manufacturing officer will move US on green technology

Beto O`Rourke on Alternative Energy: (Environment Jul 30, 2019) Bring everyone into process with conservation easements

John Hickenlooper on Alternative Energy: (Energy & Oil Jun 27, 2019) Institute wind & solar, as well as methane reductions

Joe Biden on Alternative Energy: (Technology Jun 27, 2019) Full electric vehicle future by 2030

Tim Ryan on Alternative Energy: (Energy & Oil Jun 26, 2019) Must reconnect with working class to address climate change

Julian Castro on Alternative Energy: (Environment Jun 26, 2019) Executives must deal with disasters in sustainable way

Michael Bennet on Alternative Energy: (Energy & Oil Jun 25, 2019) Transition to renewable energy in a ways that create jobs

Bernie Sanders on Alternative Energy: (Energy & Oil Apr 22, 2019) End fossil fuel; move toward wind and solar

Tulsi Gabbard on Alternative Energy: (Energy & Oil Apr 18, 2019) OFF Fossil Fuels: retrofit homes & fund new technology

Kirsten Gillibrand on Alternative Energy: (Technology Apr 18, 2019) Develop renewable energy tech; cut transportation emissions

Julian Castro on Alternative Energy: (Energy & Oil Apr 11, 2019) Cut carbon emissions; invest in renewable energy

Tim Ryan on Alternative Energy: (Energy & Oil Apr 7, 2019) Renewable energy will bring economic benefits

Bernie Sanders on Alternative Energy: (Energy & Oil Feb 25, 2019) Transform our energy system away from fossil fuel

Julian Castro on Alternative Energy: (Energy & Oil Feb 15, 2019) Green Jobs Leadership Council: more solar; less coal

Julian Castro on Alternative Energy: (Energy & Oil Feb 15, 2019) Supported both fossil fuel and green energy

Jay Inslee on Alternative Energy: (Energy & Oil Jan 2, 2019) Establish solar-cell; expand use of electric ferries

Deb Haaland on Alternative Energy: (Energy & Oil Oct 20, 2018) Lead the way into renewable energy era, solar and wind

Donald Trump on Alternative Energy: (Energy & Oil Jul 13, 2017) Claims Paris Accords costly; estimated US cost $170 billion

John Hickenlooper on Alternative Energy: (Energy & Oil Jul 12, 2017) Reduce greenhouse gas by 26% by 2025 and 35% by 2030

John Kasich on Alternative Energy: (Energy & Oil Apr 25, 2017) 1978: Citizens Committee on Energy to discuss solar & wind

Cory Booker on Alternative Energy: (Free Trade Apr 1, 2017) Deal with China despite their cheating

John Kasich on Alternative Energy: (Energy & Oil Dec 27, 2016) Keep state mandate on renewable energy

Bernie Sanders on Alternative Energy: (Energy & Oil Nov 15, 2016) Job training for transition to green energy

Hillary Clinton on Alternative Energy: (Energy & Oil Oct 9, 2016) $60B to make US the clean energy superpower of 21st century

Hillary Clinton on Alternative Energy: (Technology Oct 9, 2016) Inspirational, achievable, and affordable space initiatives

Donald Trump on Alternative Energy: (Energy & Oil Sep 26, 2016) America invested in solar panels and it was a disaster

Steve Bullock on Alternative Energy: (Energy & Oil Jun 21, 2016) Promotes wind and solar power and clean coal for Montana

Hillary Clinton on Alternative Energy: (Energy & Oil Mar 9, 2016) We need a bridge from coal to natural gas to clean energy

Hillary Clinton on Alternative Energy: (Energy & Oil Feb 4, 2016) Half a billion solar panels in first 4 years

John Hickenlooper on Alternative Energy: (Energy & Oil Jan 14, 2016) Pursuing renewables; solar and wind

Barack Obama on Alternative Energy: (Energy & Oil Jan 12, 2016) 7 years of investment in solar & wind nationwide

John Kasich on Alternative Energy: (Energy & Oil Oct 20, 2015) Mandate that electric utilities use at least 8.5% renewables

Donald Trump on Alternative Energy: (Energy & Oil Aug 10, 2015) Solar hasn't caught on because it has a 32-year payback

John Kasich on Alternative Energy: (Energy & Oil Aug 9, 2015) Climate change is a real issue, but the extent is unproven

Jay Inslee on Alternative Energy: (Energy & Oil Jun 24, 2015) Supports oil refinery (plus biofuel) along Columbia River

Barack Obama on Alternative Energy: (Technology Jan 20, 2015) Out to space not just to visit; but to stay

Barack Obama on Alternative Energy: (Energy & Oil Jan 28, 2014) Natural gas is a "bridge fuel"; then go solar

Bill de Blasio on Alternative Energy: (Energy & Oil Oct 22, 2013) No to fracking; yes to wind, solar, & geothermal

Barack Obama on Alternative Energy: (Energy & Oil Feb 13, 2013) FactCheck: Wind & solar doubled, but now only 1.4% of energy

Tulsi Gabbard on Alternative Energy: (Energy & Oil Nov 6, 2012) Tax incentives for wind, solar, biomass and wave energy

Barack Obama on Alternative Energy: (Energy & Oil Oct 16, 2012) Invest in clean energy because China & Germany will

Elizabeth Warren on Alternative Energy: (Energy & Oil Sep 25, 2012) Transition to green energy now for long-term growth

Barack Obama on Alternative Energy: (Energy & Oil Sep 6, 2012) Develop 100-year natural gas supply; it's beneath our feet

Tom Steyer on Alternative Energy: (Energy & Oil Sep 5, 2012) America's dependence on foreign oil is lowest in two decades

Barack Obama on Alternative Energy: (Energy & Oil Sep 4, 2012) All-of-the-above approach to reduce foreign dependence

Rand Paul on Alternative Energy: (Energy & Oil Mar 20, 2012) End subsidies to solar companies; they're donation kickbacks

Joe Biden on Alternative Energy: (Energy & Oil Feb 28, 2012) Unprecedented investment in renewable energy

Barack Obama on Alternative Energy: (Energy & Oil Jan 24, 2012) Don't cede wind, or solar, or battery industry to foreigners

Barack Obama on Alternative Energy: (Energy & Oil Jan 26, 2011) Subsidize clean energy by canceling oil subsidies

John Hickenlooper on Alternative Energy: (Energy & Oil Nov 2, 2010) As exploration geologist: focus on wind, solar, gas, coal

Cory Booker on Alternative Energy: (Environment Feb 9, 2010) Work with Urban Environmental Institute on solar technology

Barack Obama on Alternative Energy: (Energy & Oil Jan 27, 2010) More incentives for clean energy, including nuclear

Deval Patrick on Alternative Energy: (Energy & Oil Jul 16, 2009) Develop solar power projects to generate 250 MW by 2017

Barack Obama on Alternative Energy: (Education Feb 24, 2009) $2,500 tax credit for all four years of college

Barack Obama on Alternative Energy: (Jobs Feb 24, 2009) FactCheck: Economic plan may create only 2.2M jobs, not 3.5M

Deval Patrick on Alternative Energy: (Technology Jan 1, 2009) Invest in broadband, wind turbines, roads & rails

Joe Biden on Alternative Energy: (Energy & Oil Oct 2, 2008) Obama believes in investing in alternative energy

Joe Biden on Alternative Energy: (Principles & Values Aug 27, 2008) We need a wise leader like Obama, not just a good soldier