Climate Crisis
– Biden is a cosponsor of the Global Warming Pollution Reduction
Act, which would reduce climate pollution 80 percent by 2050, the
level scientists say is necessary to avoid climate catastrophe.
– Biden favors a cap, auction and trade system for greenhouse
gases and wants to use the proceeds to support large-scale
development of clean energy resources.
Oil
– Biden has supported protection of the Arctic National Wildlife
Refuge in Alaska, America’s Serengeti.
– Biden has opposed drilling off America’s fragile coasts.
Coal
– Biden opposes the construction of new coal-fired power plants
that don’t capture and store their greenhouse gas emissions.
– Biden has opposed subsidies to coal companies for turning coal
into an automotive fuel , an energy-intensive process that would
produce up to double the global warming pollution of regular oil .
However, he has supported exporting liquid coal to countries like
China.
Nuclear
– Biden has opposed increased subsidies for nuclear power ,
although he believes nuclear could play a role in the future energy
supply.
– Biden has recognized some of the safety problems with nuclear
energy and has called for tougher oversight of the government’s
Nuclear Regulatory Commission .
Clean Energy & Efficiency
– Biden is a co-sponsor (with Senator Obama) of the Fuel Economy
Reform Act, which would raise fuel efficiency standards to 40 mpg
by 2017, reducing greenhouse gases significantly and saving drivers
over $1 trillion.
– Biden supports a Clean Energy Standard that would require
utilities to produce 20 percent of their electricity from clean
sources like wind, solar, and geothermal power by 2020 .
LCV Score
– In 2006, Biden had a lifetime score of 84 from the League of
Conservation Voters.
Further Resources
– Grist.org environmental profile and interview of Joe Biden: http://www.grist.org/feature/2007/08/29/biden_factsheet/
