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John Kerry On The Issues 2004

John Kerry 2004 On The Issues

An Energy Independent America

 

Together, Americans will be freer and stronger when we break our dependence on foreign oil.
Today, we consume 2.5 million barrels of oil per day from the Middle East, where instability has pushed prices to record highs. These soaring energy costs are burdening middle-class families with higher gas prices, and our dependence on Middle East oil is putting our national security at risk.

America will be safer and freer when the resources that fuel our economy are in our own hands, when we develop new energy sources right here in America.

John Kerry and John Edwards will put America on the path towards energy independence. They will harness the full force of American optimism and ingenuity to invest in new technologies and alternative fuels, create tax incentives that help automakers produce more fuel efficient cars, and reward the consumers who buy them. We invented and built the cars we drive today - we can invent and build the cars we drive tomorrow, too.

The Kerry-Edwards plan will increase energy conservation and create clean, renewable sources of energy that no terrorist can sabotage and no foreign government can seize. Their plan will also save billions by cutting waste and pork-barrel spending in Washington.

John Kerry and John Edwards believe that achieving an energy independent America - an America strong at home and secure in the world - is the great project for our generation.

To create an energy independent America, John Kerry and John Edwards will:

Explore And Develop New Energy Sources
Tomorrow's energy economy will be fueled by new energy sources. The Kerry-Edwards plan will invest in the research and exploration needed to turn ideas into fuel and develop renewable energy sources.

Develop Tomorrow's Technology Today
Under the Kerry-Edwards plan, America will take the lead in developing the new technology and production methods needed to ensure that resources such as coal and natural gas are used more efficiently and cleanly, and fully integrated into the New Energy Economy.

Make America Energy Independent Of Middle East Oil
Our security in the war on terror demands an end to our dependence on Middle East oil. Under the Kerry-Edwards plan, we will strengthen our national security while growing our economy and protecting our environment.

A Plan For American Leadership In Energy Technology


John Kerry and John Edwards believe that by tapping into American ingenuity and technological know-how, we can improve the performance of existing energy technology, make current production methods more efficient, and utilize renewable fuels to reduce our dependence on foreign oil.

Creating an energy independent America will require the development of cleaner, more efficient technology and production to make better use of our existing energy sources. Under the Kerry-Edwards plan, we will assert American leadership in bringing the world closer to the technologies of tomorrow.

Improve Efficiency In Automobiles. Nearly 70 percent of the oil Americans consume is burned in cars, trucks, trains, planes and automobiles. To ensure that this energy is used more efficiently, the Kerry-Edwards plan will:

  • Improve fuel efficiency of cars to reduce our dependence on foreign oil.

  • Provide tax credits to encourage Americans to drive more advanced technology efficient cars.

  • Create new incentives for automobile manufacturers to retool plants to produce advanced technology, more efficient vehicles - and lead the way towards an energy independent America.

  • Create a new Hydrogen Institute to unite scientists and researchers to develop a New Energy Economy by 2020.

 
Improve Efficiency In Government, Homes, Offices, And Communities. John Kerry and John Edwards believe that improving efficiency will lessen the strain on our resources and decrease harmful emissions. They believe that we can save significantly more energy through the application of energy efficient technologies - such as heating, lighting and manufacturing. The Kerry-Edwards energy plan would increase the efficient use of energy by:

  • Cutting the Federal government's energy bill by 20 percent by 2020, saving an estimated $14 billion over the next ten years.

  • Challenging and helping municipalities, corporations, universities, small businesses and hospitals to meet the same 20 percent energy efficiency goal.

  • Providing tax incentives to spur the retrofit and construction of energy-efficient buildings and homes.

Make Coal Part Of The 21st Century Technology Solution. The Kerry-Edwards plan will ensure a role for this abundant domestic energy source and support the families and communities that depend on it. Coal can be part of the solution to the energy and environmental challenges we face, but we need to:

  • Forge new ways to draw cleaner power from coal

  • Provide leadership to lower the four leading power plant emissions - nitrogen oxide, sulfur dioxide, mercury, and carbon dioxide - through flexible, multi-emission mechanisms.

  • Invest $10 billion over the next decade - a fivefold increase in funding - to transform the current generation of older coal plants to cleaner and more efficient coal-fired power plants.

Ensure And Expand Natural Gas Supplies And Safeguard Gas Markets. Natural gas, the cleanest form of fossil fuel, has historically been in abundant supply at a reasonable cost. However, as greater amounts of natural gas are used for electricity production, manufacturing, and home heating, however, supply shortages have caused high prices that are likely to continue over the next several years. John Kerry and John Edwards believe it is imperative to address not only the current supply and demand sides of the equation, but the short-term and long-term challenges for natural gas as well. To ensure stable supplies and prices, the Kerry-Edwards plan will:

  • Ensure a fair and well-functioning natural gas marketplace through effective market monitoring and enforcement to prevent abuses such as the Enron scandal.

  • Pursue a North American Energy Initiative - a long-term partnership with Canada and Mexico to develop and expand North America's robust energy supplies.

  • Expedite construction of an Alaska Natural Gas Pipeline to move the 35 trillion cubic feet of known natural gas reserves on the North Slope of Alaska to markets in the lower 48 states.

  • Enhance the pipeline infrastructure to move natural gas more effectively, safely and reliably from sources of production to the areas where it is needed.

  • Increase the efficiency of natural gas use - in electricity production, manufacturing, and home heating by applying commercially available technologies.

 

A Plan To Explore And Develop New Energy Sources


To create an energy independent America, we will have to do more than use existing energy sources more efficiently. To grow our economy, tap our ingenuity, and protect our environment, we will also have to explore and develop new energy sources.

Under the Kerry-Edwards plan, America will commit its technological and industrial prowess to developing and sustaining clean, renewable sources of fuel. These new sources will not only dramatically reduce our dependence on foreign oil, they will also create new industries, new jobs, and new ways to protect our environment.

Increase The Use Of Domestically Available Renewable Fuels - Such As Ethanol - By 5 Billion Gallons By 2012. The Kerry-Edwards plan will increase the use of renewable fuels such as ethanol and waste biomass, and provide funding and financing mechanisms for further research.

Develop Domestic Supplies In Areas Already Open For Development, including the western and central Gulf of Mexico and the National Petroleum Reserve in Alaska.

Diversify The World Oil Supply To Include Non-OPEC Suppliers. The Kerry-Edwards plan will work to develop new sources of oil from nations like Russia, Canada and non-OPEC countries in Africa.

Increase Renewable Energy Production. The Kerry-Edwards plan will ensure that 20 percent of America's electricity is produced from renewable sources by 2020. Just as domestic renewable energy reduces oil dependence, it can also create electricity and enhance our electricity markets. And growth in these new technologies will create quality jobs, as well as goods and services for export. To increase renewable energy production, the Kerry-Edwards Energy Plan will provide:

  • Incentives for producers. No single solution can meet all of our society's future energy needs - we will need a diverse group of energy technologies. Predictable and stable federal policies are critical to achieving this goal. A key priority will be ensuring that the federal Production Tax Credit (PTC) for wind and biomass is applicable to the full array of renewable technologies, since the unpredictability of frequent short term extensions of the PTC has greatly hindered investment and expansion of the industry in the United States.

  • Incentives for investment. Like any other business development, clean energy technologies and projects need capital to get off the ground. John Kerry and John Edwards believe that we can improve access to financing for clean energy and will work with the investor community to find ways to encourage additional investment.

  • Funding and support for more research. John Kerry and John Edwards will increase funding available to research renewable energy, offering the prospect of both technical advances and the development of an enhanced supply chain.

 

Source: John Kerry for President 2004 Web Site

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