Obama, speaking in Bend about energy, oil and alternatives

[depakid]

On a sunny central Oregon morning, Sen. Barack Obama had energy -- and Republican Sen. John McCain -- on his mind Saturday as he toured a solar plant and spoke to about 2,000 at a high school.

The Illinois Democrat said he would put a higher tax on companies that pollute and use the money to invest in wind, solar, geothermal and other alternatives to oil. He said he wouldn't rule out nuclear energy as a future source of power, if problems of waste storage and safety can be resolved.

Individuals, he said, must take responsibility as well.

"We can't all be driving Chevy Suburbans at eight miles per gallon," Obama said. "That's no slight against Chevys," he quickly added, "because I want us to drive American-made cars" -- but they need to be built to get better gas mileage.

<snip>

After touring the Bend solar energy plant, PV Power, Obama told reporters he would be open to a series of joint debates with McCain across the country this summer, an idea that has been floated by McCain aides. "That's a great idea," Obama said.

<snip>

Obama echoed earlier themes Saturday, pledging to end the Iraq war and divert billions of military dollars to domestic programs, such as college tuition grants and health care. But he spent much of his day focused on energy.

"We've been talking about high prices at the pump and our dependence on foreign oil since the gas lines of the 1970s," Obama said. "We've been talking about our environmental problems for even longer. And yet here we are, all these decades later -- and the only thing that's changed is that we're even more dependent on foreign oil."

Asked by an audience member whether he would favor more nuclear power plants, Obama said: "My position is not to say 'No nuclear ever.' My position has been if you can show me a way to store nuclear waste or recycle it in a way that is safe . . . then I would be happy to consider it as part of an overall energy mix."

More: http://www.oregonlive.com/politics/oregonian/index.ssf?/base/news/1210474514111150.xml&coll=7&thispage=2

[kristopher]

1. I can't wait to get a real energy policy that addresses the issues. nt

[depakid]

4. A lot of people get upset with Obama over nuclear power

and while it's true that he's taken corporate money from the industry, it's also true that no combination of renewables and alternative energy sources are going to power the USA.

The maths don't work, on the massive scales required even assuming wholesale conservation efforts that Americans are unlikely to embrace until they're forced to by recurring shortages.

I don't see some regions in America as having much choice. Either they'll need to burn ever increasing amounts of filthy coal, poisoning the atmosphere with greenhouse gasses and poisoning the ecosytems with mercury- or they'll choose considerably cleaner nuclear reactors- or they'll do without.

[kristopher]

6. I agree.

All options must be on the table. We should commence massive action immediately with the 'standard' renewables while gearing up for the possibility of needing nuclear. As the science regarding the timeline related to CC is becoming clearer (5 more years or so) we can have most of the big government spending into the 'standards' completed and let industry take over those wedges, then if needed, turn government help to nuclear.

[uponit7771]

7. After looking at how the French are recycling their nuke was and cutting the half life down...

...to decades and cutting the radiation to less than an air flight I think nuke power is safe.

The hard part is the fighting big oil and congress

[Indiana_Dem]

2. Hopefully, he's been able to browse through a copy of the book I gave him on peak oil--

Richard Heinberg's "The Party's Over". I gave it to him when I met him a couple weeks ago.

[Beregond2]

5. And how amazing

it is to have a candidate who one thinks might actually read a book like that and be affected by it?

[LiberalAndProud]

3. He's hitting his stride.

The joint debates with McCain would be interesting. I wonder if they'll really do it.