As the 58th U.S. presidential election continues to gain momentum, candidates are becoming increasingly outspoken on their views regarding energy policies. Hillary Clinton of the Democratic Party and Donald Trump of the Republican Party present some agreement on renewable energy, but their strategies aimed to accomplish energy goals remain distinctly divided.
Clinton on energy
Clinton appears to have a clear vision for how she wishes to shape the energy industry. According to Clinton’s “Vision for Renewable Power Briefing Fact Sheet,” which outlines national goals for combatting climate change, there are two goals that are to be accomplished during her presidency: 1. More than half a billion solar panels will be installed across the U.S. by the end of Clinton’s first term. 2. The country will produce enough clean renewable energy to power every home in the U.S. within 10 years of her taking office. According to Clinton, “I want the U.S. to have half a billion solar panels by 2020. And I want us to generate enough renewable electricity to power every home in America in the next 10 years.”
Not only is Clinton adamant her energy plans will be good for the environment; she also reassures these goals will improve the economy and create more jobs in the energy industry. During a recent MSNBC town hall, Clinton said, “We are going to look at how we use clean renewable energy to create more jobs. And somebody is going to be the 21st-century clean energy superpower. It’s either going to be China, Germany or us. I want it to be us because there will be a lot of jobs, again, that have to be done right here in America.”
Additionally, Clinton plans to launch a Clean Energy Challenge that will form a new partnership with states, rural communities and cities. One idea is to provide market-based incentives and competitive grants to empower states to exceed federal carbon pollution standards and increase clean energy deployment. She also plans to work with rural communities, cities and states to enhance grid resilience and reliability. Also, Clinton wants to assist rural leadership by expanding the Rural Utilities Service to help provide clean, affordable energy.
Trump on energy
Trump has announced his energy goals in his “America First” plan. This plan stated American energy dominance will be a strategic economic and foreign policy goal of the country. In this plan, Trump supports the coal industry as well as renewable energy, but not to the exclusion of alternative forms of energy.
According to his 100-day action plan, Trump wishes to revoke President Barack Obama’s Climate Action Plan. Trump’s goal is to also save the coal industry, which he feels is threatened by Clinton’s “extremist” agenda. According to a recent speech to the North Dakota Petroleum Council, Trump said, “I will save the coal industry and other industries threatened by Hillary Clinton.” Trump has also criticized the strict regulations on the oil and coal industry.
He also supports the idea of renewing TransCanada’s permit application for the Keystone Pipeline. The Keystone Pipeline has been vehemently opposed by environmentalists due to the potential risk for oil spills and higher greenhouse gas emissions, and the Obama administration cancelled the fourth phase of the pipeline in 2015. For supporting the pipeline, however, Trump would want the U.S. to receive a significant portion of its profits.
Wind energy seems to be a viable and effective energy source, according to Trump during a November 2015 campaign stop in Newton, Iowa. When asked about wind energy, Trump responded, “I’m fine with it. Any form of energy… we’ve got to get away from the Middle East.” The economic toll on producing wind energy, however, was also a concern. Trump added, “I will say that wind is a problem because it’s very expensive to build the towers. As you know, when you have $40 oil, it’s not economic. So they’re going to have to do a subsidy; otherwise wind isn’t going to work. Wind is a very expensive form of energy, and it’s got problems of storage and lots of other things. Wind will need subsidies. It’s going to have to have subsidies.”
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