Candidates’ Views

To drill or not to drill? That is one question of many concerning the issue of Energy. The major parties’ presumptive candidates, Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump, generally toe the party line in their views on energy and other issues. A third candidate, Libertarian Gary Johnson, former governor of New Mexico, could be a spoiler in the election, as he is now polling around 10%.

Clinton is very concerned about the human impact on climate change and wants to regulate and, if possible, eliminate the use of fossil fuels, including oil, coal, and natural gas. If she’s elected, she has pledged to take up President Obama’s mantle, turning the country toward clean energy in the form of solar arrays and wind farms. 

Trump does not accept the idea that climate change is caused by human activity and wants the free market to determine where energy goes in the future. He promotes a smorgasbord of energy options, making the most of fossil fuels and forms of clean energy, depending on market competition. 

Johnson’s views on energy and climate change split the difference between the candidates. Like Clinton, he is concerned about climate change and wants to promote alternative energies. Like Trump, he is pro-free market and is therefore against excessive government interference and over-regulation.

What’s the Plan?
Hillary Clinton’s plan is comprehensive; she’s been working on it for a long time. The basics are

● Restrict drilling on public lands and use public lands for solar arrays,

● Increase regulatory power of the EPA, eliminate fuel subsidies, and regulate the natural gas industry’s fracking activity until fracking is all but eliminated,

● Increase government grants and incentives, including a $60 billion clean energy challenge.

Donald Trump’s plan is far less complex:

● Increase and subsidize biofuel, namely, ethanol,

● Exploit the United States’ vast reserves of oil and natural gas for energy independence,

● Eliminate Cap and Trade,

● Let the free market drive the economy, including energy of all kinds.

Johnson’s plan is more conservative than Clinton’s and less extreme than Trump’s:
●Eliminate Cap and Trade, carbon taxes, and any energy subsidies,
●Enforce laws and regulations to reduce pollution,
●Balance benefits of any new policy with the cost of implementation,
●Let the free market determine the course of energy production and consumption while being mindful of our responsibility to address climate change and reduce our impact on the environment.
Perfect Plans?
The right Energy plan could be the issue that cinches the election for the winner.

The latest polls have Clinton leading Trump by 3 points, which is eerily like several close elections of the recent past such as Obama vs. Romney and Bush vs. Gore, elections that were unpredictable at best. In polls where Johnson’s influence is counted, the margin narrows even more between Clinton and Trump to only 1 point, and in some of those polls, Trump leads by 1 point is a dead heat.