Energy Spending

There have been numerous postings on the candidates' energy views/policies, but here are some numbers I found on spending in the March 10, 2008 Newsweek.

Barack Obama:

"Obama's pledged $150 billion over 10 years to transition into the next generation of energy. He'll double funding for research on clean energy, create a Green Jobs Corps and set up a five-year, $50 billion federal Clean Technologies Venture Capital Fund. He'll offset costs by auctioning off rights to emit carbon."

Hillary Clinton:

"Clinton has a 10-year, $150 billion plan for the environment: create a $50 billion 'strategic energy fund' (paid for in part by higher taxes for oil companies, which will invest in the new sources of energy and technology), double funding for federal basic energy research and add $20 billion of Green Vehicle Bonds."

John McCain:

"He cosponsored the Climate Stewardship and Innovation Act of 2007, which would authorize $3.7 billion in federal subsidies for new nuclear power plants. He oculd revive an amendent that he sponsored to the Energy Policy Act of 2005; it would've given $1.5 billion to cap greenhouse gases at 2000 levels by 2010."

Clinton and Obama have similar budget numbers, but a few rhetoric differences. Obama seemed to focus on energy, whereas Clinton used the word environment. McCain's budget number are much smaller, and the wording is even more different. McCain's seems to focus on things already in the process or could have happened.

I thought it was also interesting that in this article, they had three budget numbers for each candidate. For Obama and Clinton they showed health care, education, and energy. For McCain they showed defense, border security, and energy. Interesting.