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:
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Improve fuel
efficiency of cars to reduce our dependence on foreign oil.
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Provide tax credits
to encourage Americans to drive more advanced technology efficient
cars.
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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:
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Cutting the Federal
government's energy bill by 20 percent by 2020, saving an estimated
$14 billion over the next ten years.
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Challenging and
helping municipalities, corporations, universities, small businesses
and hospitals to meet the same 20 percent energy efficiency goal.
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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
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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