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OXFORD, Mississippi (Reuters) - U.S. Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama said on Friday that if elected he might have to scale back his plan for energy investment to help pay for a proposed $700 billion financial industry bailout. "I want to make sure that we are investing in energy in order to free ourselves from dependence on foreign oil. Now, that is a big project. That is a multi-year project," Obama said in a televised debate with Republican rival John McCain.

I was water-skiing with my children in a light drizzle off Hyannis, Mass., last month when a sudden, fierce storm plunged us into a melee of towering waves, raking rain, painful hail and midday darkness broken by blinding flashes of lightning. As I hurried to get my children out of the water and back to the dock, I shouted over the roaring wind, "This is some kind of tornado." [Snip] Those odd climatological phenomena led me to reflect on the rapidly changing weather patterns that are altering the way we live. Lightning storms and strikes have tripled just since the...

...Granholm was asked how to get the public on board the push to more alternative energies. She said some members of the state Legislature aren't enamored with government mandates on environmental issues. If you can't woo them with wind turbines, she said, point to all the jobs that are being created by pushing for alternative energy. Granholm covered numerous other topics: She said there needs to be a "carbon tax'' on coal, oil and gas to help reduce carbon emissions. "That's a good thing,'' the governor said. Granholm said she was in Japan and saw high-speed rail service. "Why don't...

In the past few days, Americans learned how important functioning credit markets are to the health of the economy. In the next few years they will learn how important an adequate electricity system is as well. It will be a similarly unpleasant revelation. Democratic vice presidential candidate Joe Biden's rejection of coal plants during a campaign stop in Ohio this week - the bumbling Biden even claimed, erroneously, that the Obama ticket was "not supporting clean coal" - is being treated as a gaffe. But it wasn't, really. Biden's attitude precisely reflects a growing consensus among politicians on the environmental...

An energy tax package Congress is cooking up this week may fry ConocoPhillips' production of diesel fuel from Tyson Foods' leftover animal fat. Houston-based ConocoPhillips and Springdale, Ark.-based Tyson, the world's largest chicken, beef and pork processor, teamed up last year to use the oil company's existing refineries to produce renewable diesel fuel from animal fat. Tyson sends beef tallow from its rendering plant in Amarillo to ConocoPhillips' refinery in nearby Borger, where it is used as a feedstock to make diesel fuel. This year the partners have produced 4 million gallons of diesel fuel with this method. Eventually, the...

As we approach the first Presidential debate, it has become clear that there are three major issues in this campaign: the economy, national security and, of course, energy. Of those three, only energy reaches across the other two. It is the single most important foreign policy question we face. Today we are importing 70% of the oil we use every day. At more than $100 per barrel that adds up to nearly $700 billion per year that Americans are sending overseas, that’s about $1.9 billion a day, seven days a week. The $700 billion Wall Street bailout proposed by the...

INCREASED OIL/GAS PRODUCTION ANWR Development · Increasing domestic oil production from the vast reserves of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) is a solid first step towards making American energy independent; the Department of the Interior estimates ANWR has between 10 to 18 billion barrels of oil. · ANWR is unique among potential energy solutions in that the cost for its development would be met by private industry. · The development of ANWR would foster immediate job growth around the country; estimates show that in Virginia alone between 3000 and almost 7000 jobs would be created. Offshore Drilling · We...

-snip- In fact, the declaration of 1.7 million Utah acres as a national monument, thereby depriving an energy-starved U.S. up to 62 billion tons of environmentally safe low-sulfur coal worth $1.2 trillion and minable with minimal surface impact, was a political payoff to the family of James Riady. He's the son of Lippo Group owner Mochtar Riady. James was found guilty of — and paid a multimillion dollar fine for — funneling more than $1 million in illegal political contributions through Lippo Bank into various American political campaigns, including Bill Clinton's presidential run in 1992. Clinton took off the world...

Free-Market Citizen Group Says Biden’s “No Coal for America” Approach Would Result in Lost Jobs, Even Higher Energy Prices For Immediate Release – September 24, 2008 Contact Ben Marchi, (804) 380-9240 Biden is putting extremist environmental ideology ahead of jobs for Virginians RICHMOND – The Virginia chapter of the free-market grassroots group Americans for Prosperity (AFP) today called U.S. Senator Joe Biden’s pledge of “No coal plants here in America!” out of touch with the concerns of average Virginians. Video footage surfaced today that showed Senator Biden telling an environmentalist he wants “no coal plants here in America.” This comment...

U.S. Senator John McCain's presidential campaign today launched the Coalition to Protect Coal Jobs. The coalition, a nationwide group including members of Congress, state government and other influential leaders, will spread the message about the importance of clean coal technology and the advantages of tapping the country's vast coal reserves. The group will also speak out to protect critical coal jobs when they come under attack from the most anti-American energy ticket in history. In addition to providing domestic energy, the coal industry is a critical part of the economy in several states. As part of John McCain's "all of...

Al Gore called Wednesday for "civil disobedience" to combat the construction of coal power plants without the ability to store carbon, Reuters reported. The former vice president, whose efforts to raise awareness of global warming have made him the most prominent voice on that issue, made the comment during a session at the fourth annual Clinton Global Initiative in Manhattan.

America's Energy: Joe Biden wants to develop clean coal technology — for the Chinese. As for the U.S., he wants the Saudi Arabia of coal to be the Bangladesh of energy.Biden has joked that the difference between him and Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin is that she's "good-looking." One of the real differences is that Palin wants to develop America's abundant domestic energy resources — all of them. She cut through red tape to get a pipeline built to supply the lower 48 states with natural gas from Alaska's North Slope. Biden, Obama and other Democrats want to go through the...

Chicago, IL (HNN) -- On Tuesday, Sept. 23, 2008, the Obama-Biden campaign announced a Clean Coal Jobs Task Force, aimed at furthering Senator Obama and Senator Biden's commitment to creating jobs and energy independence through clean coal.

No, really. Let's look at all the victories: * We kept the war fully funded. * We successfully got the surge working. * We shot down redeployment instead of victory. * We shot down abandonment instead of victory. * We won the war, in fact. * We passed FISA - finally! And without nonsensical regulation. We even got retroactive telecom immunity! * We still have Gitmo open. * We still have the PATRIOT Act up and running. * We stopped the S-CHIP bloat. * We ensured that impeaching Bush remained the joke that it is and always has been. *...

Had the cross-cutting between Obama and Biden been a little quicker to emphasize the absurdity of the contradiction, this one might have reached the sarcastic heights of the “celebrity” ads. No matter. Conservatives will relish it anyway for rubbing Biden’s face in a warm pile. And by pile, I don’t mean a pile of coal.

Had the cross-cutting between Obama and Biden been a little quicker to emphasize the absurdity of the contradiction, this one might have reached the sarcastic heights of the “celebrity” ads. No matter. Conservatives will relish it anyway for rubbing Biden’s face in a warm pile. And by pile, I don’t mean a pile of coal.

Here is a new McCain Web Ad that goes after the conflicting positions of Barack Obama and his running mate Joe Biden on clean coal technology. . . . (see video at link)

The Swamp - Tribune's Washington Bureau, DC - 59 minutes ago Biden clearly didn't advance the team with recent comments he made at a Maumee, Ohio campaign stop. He indicated he didn't support using coal to provide

Democratic vice presidential candidate Joe Biden appeared to undermine Barack Obama's backing of clean-coal technology when he told voters in Maumee last week that neither he nor Obama "are supporting clean coal." In a video circulated today by Republican John McCain's presidential campaign, Biden made his comment as he mingled with the crowd when a woman voter asked him about clean coal. Biden told the women, "We're not supporting clean coal. Guess what? China's building two every week. Two dirty coal plants. And it's polluting the United States. It's causing people to die." When the same voter asked if Biden...

Today we have the Post talking about bitter voters in small towns in Pennsylvania, Joe Biden trashing a major state industry, and a pollster desperately trying to hide the fact that McCain may actually be leading in Obama's biggest must-win state.

CHARLESTON, W.Va. (WSAZ) -- An off-the-cuff interview with Democratic nominee for Vice President Joe Biden posted on YouTube reveals that Biden apparently doesn't want coal plants in the United States. The video appears to have been shot in Ohio while Biden was campaigning. "No coal plants here in America," said Biden to a woman asking questions about clean coal. Biden says China is building two dirty coal plants every week, which is polluting the U.S. and causing people to die. "Guess what, China is going to burn 300 years of bad coal unless we can figure out how to clean...

ABC News' Matthew Jaffe Reports: A conflict over clean coal is brewing on the campaign trail after video surfaced of Sen. Joe Biden, D-Del., telling an anti-pollution campaigner in Ohio that he does not support coal plants in America. Approached following a rally in Maumee, Ohio, last Tuesday, Biden was asked by a campaigner for 1Sky, an organization against the development of new coal-fired power plants, why he supports clean coal at a time when “wind and solar are flourishing here in Ohio.” The animated, close-talking Biden then put his hands on the woman’s shoulders and launched into a passionate,...

ARLINGTON, VA -- Congresswoman Shelly Moore Capito (R-WV), former Virginia Governor and Senator George Allen, former Congressman Scott McInnis (R-CO) and RNC Chairman Mike Duncan will announce the McCain-Palin campaign's Coalition to Protect Coal Jobs, a nationwide group including members of Congress, state government and other influential leaders. The coalition will help spread the message about the importance of clean coal technology and the advantages of tapping the country's vast coal reserves. As part of John McCain's "all of the above" energy plan, the Lexington Project, clean coal will be a strong component of the drive to energy independence. In...

ARLINGTON, Va. -- Rep. Shelly Moore Capito , R-W.Va., former Virginia Governor and Senator George Allen, former Congressman Scott McInnis , R-Colo., and RNC Chairman Mike Duncan will announce on Wednesday the McCain-Palin campaign's Coalition to Protect Coal Jobs, a nationwide group including members of Congress, state government and other leaders. Organizers said the coalition will help spread the message about the importance of clean coal technology and the advantages of tapping the country's vast coal reserves. As part of John McCain's "all of the above" energy plan, the Lexington Project, clean coal will be a strong component of the...

DFU NOTE: Because of the technology that produces "clean" diesel, diesel vehicles may well make a comeback in the United States. Coal, of which we have an enormous supply, could be an important part of attaining energy independence. Joe Biden says NO to coal. Another good one from the walking gaffe machine. I thought the messiah was in favor of clean coal. Maybe this is the kind of stuff that gets Biden removed from the ticket. Stand up, Chuck. Biden - "No coal plants here in America" at the end of this video From the article on greencar.com: Both indirect...

McCain hits Biden in Ohio today: I am going to put in place the priorities and policies that will create jobs in Ohio. One important way that we are going to create jobs here is with the development of additional nuclear plants and through investments in clean coal technology. Not only will investment in our energy infrastructure create millions of new jobs across the country, it will help lead our nation toward the important goal of energy independence. My opponent is against the expansion of nuclear power. His running mate here in Ohio recently said that they weren’t supporting clean...

Why flip-flop on specific policies one at a time, when a candidate can do so much more efficiently by calling a general retreat? Less than 48 hours after telling CNBC that his health-insurance plan was fully funded and would not get affected by a massive government bailout of the credit markets, Obama has reversed himself and put his expensive federal programs on hold. He also criticized his own running mate on the Today show this morning: Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) said in an interview aired Tuesday that the cost of the mortgage bailout plan may rein in his ambitious plans...

He may claim to be green, but McCain's environmental record is every bit as dirty as that of Sen. James "global warming is a hoax" Inhofe. Few politicians in history have more successfully sold a phony image about caring for the environment than Sen. John McCain. His deceptions and distortions and lies would fill a book. Understandably, an overwhelming majority of the public strongly believes we need a major push toward alternative energy. So as a presidential candidate, McCain has repeatedly claimed to be a long-standing supporter of clean energy. "We must shift our entire energy economy toward new and...

I was speaking to a close relative the other day. He expressed a suitably cynical opinion about our current crop of politicians and the "energy crisis." He said: "What I think is we just don't have enough energy, we're never going to have enough energy, so costs are going to continue going up and up, and they all know this, but they just won't say so." I said his comment was suitably cynical -- not that it's correct. In fact, I believe the opposite is true. There's no shortage of energy, there never has been and -- so long as...

Virginia’s senior Republican Sen. John Warner and Lieutenant Governor Bill Bolling warned Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama against demonizing coal during a scheduled visit to their home state. “Coal is clearly our main source fuel and we must support the coal industry and their efforts to try to make their emissions cleaner,” Warner said. “We cannot put further taxes on coal and we certainly don’t want to refer to it as the source of ‘dirty energy.’” Warner was referring to remarks Obama made earlier this year to the San-Antonio Express News. Obama said, “What we ought to do is tax...

The Democratic presidential candidate, Barack Obama, has a great twofer pitch: "green jobs." It sounds like a winner. In one fell swoop he can promise to end unemployment and fix and save the planet from climate change. Or so he says. "I'll invest $150 billion over the next decade in affordable, renewable sources of energy — wind power and solar power and the next generation of biofuels; an investment that will lead to new industries and five million new jobs that pay well and can't ever be outsourced," he told the Democratic National Convention. Wow. Five million new jobs. All...

S. Orange, NJ - Lost amidst the many speeches delivered at the Democrat Convention was one by Sen. Harry Reid of Nevada. He is the Senate Majority Leader and, as such, controls the legislative agenda in that upper house of Congress. Harry Reid hates oil, but then, so does the Democrat Party. The reason this nation is held hostage to other oil producing nations is that the Democrats, going back to President Jimmy Carter, have waged war on the American oil industry. This is especially important insofar as nations ruled by monarchies, corrupt, and communist governments, control 75% of the...

Barack Obama received many ovations during his acceptance speech at the Democratic convention in Denver. Perhaps the most enthusiastic applause from the crowd of 84,000 came after the senator from Illinois declared: "And for the sake of our economy, our security and the future of our planet, I will set a clear goal as president: In 10 years, we will finally end our dependence on oil from the Middle East." Excuse us for sitting on our hands, but Obama's claims about energy just don't add up. Of course, that means he is no different from any other Washington politico. But...

As Ed Craig notes here, Palin’s home-run speech not only raised her market value, but the value of energy common sense as well. Palin offers conservatives (if the Goracle disciple at the top of her ticket agrees — a big “if”) a real opportunity to bring the dangers of green extremism home to Joe Sixpack. Here in Michigan, two counties are key to winning this swing state (they are national bellwethers too): White-collar Oakland and blue-collar Macomb which sit shoulder to shoulder north of Detroit. Palin’s personal story will be a powerful magnet for Oakland’s decisive soccer/hockey mom electorate. But...

It didn’t take Joe Biden long to fall into line with the Barack Obama no-drill policy. After saying Monday that he didn’t oppose drilling in the OCS, he told an audience yesterday he opposed it. Is this change American can believe in? Barack Obama didn’t take running mate Joe Biden to the woodshed for his remarks Monday on offshore drilling, which broke from Obama’s strong reservations to it. But Biden on Wednesday nonetheless offered a different opinion: “I’m against it.” Biden flatly told voters this afternoon that he opposes offshore drilling for oil and gas and lambasted companies for failing...

Transcript of Michael Steele RNC speech Good evening. As we gather at this moment, many of our friends, families and neighbors have felt the devastating effects of Hurricane Gustav. Our hearts and prayers are with them at this hour. Times such as this remind us that we are each called to respond to a cause greater than our own self-interest. They speak to a truth about America: that when things are tough and the skies are filled with stormy clouds, we turn to each other for comfort, support and leadership. As mothers and fathers, families and communities begin the difficult...

On tax policy, Alaska governor Sarah Palin has a rather uninspiring, albeit brief, record. The following is some information gleaned from State Tax Notes. Palin supported and signed into law a $1.5 billion tax increase on oil companies in the form of higher severance taxes. One rule of thumb is that higher taxes cause less investment. Sure enough, State Tax Notes reported (January 7): “After ACES was passed, ConocoPhillips, Alaska's most active oil exploration company and one of the top three producers, announced it was canceling plans to build a diesel fuel refinery at the Kuparuk oil field. ConocoPhillips blamed...

Biden flatly told voters this afternoon that he opposes offshore drilling for oil and gas and lambasted companies for failing to tap many coastal sites they have already leased from the federal government. He also said the Strategic Petroleum Reserve, which holds more than 700 million barrels of oil, should be emptied into the retail market to lower gas prices.

ST. PAUL (Reuters) - U.S. reliance on imported oil poses a national security risk, and energy policy should include everything from expanding domestic drilling to finding alternative fuels, Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin said on Wednesday. In her speech accepting the vice presidential nomination at the Republican National Convention, Palin said a natural gas pipeline under construction in Alaska would one day "lead America one step farther away from dependence on dangerous foreign powers that do not have our interests at heart." She said the United States should not be so reliant on imported oil that it has to tap its...

The No. 1 economic issue this election is gasoline prices at the pump. The tax-hike effect of surging oil on global markets that has translated into a huge spike at your local gas station has drained the economy of its vitality. It has damaged consumer purchasing power, made it tougher to pay mortgages on time, worsened the credit crunch, raised the inflation rate, undermined corporate profits and thrown stocks into the first bear market in five years. Of course, with all the political hoopla from the Denver Democrats, it's easy to forget the populist revolt against high pump prices. Sen....

Palin has stood up to the major oil companies, and has made utterly transparent the State of Alaska's dealings with them, but she is neither in their pocket nor a rabble-rouser who unfairly demonizes them. She's dealt with them like a responsible public servant, not a class warrior. Stephen Spruiell was generous and self-critical enough to link today on The Corner a comment I wrote to one of my own Palin posts in which I took issue with a post by my excellent friend Ed Morrissey (formerly of Captain's Quarters) at Hot Air. Basically, I thought Ed (and, inferentially, Mr....

Republicans in Congress this June united to defeat a proposed windfall tax on oil companies, deriding it as a bad idea that would discourage investment in U.S. oil exploration. Things worked out far differently in the GOP stronghold of Alaska, a state whose economic fate is closely tied to the oil industry. Over the opposition of oil companies, Republican Gov. Sarah Palin and Alaska's Legislature last year approved a major increase in taxes on the oil industry — a step that has generated stunning new wealth for the state as oil prices soared.

Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin has exactly the high energy, political toughness, and conservative reform message that would boost Sen. John McCain’s presidential run if Big Mac were to put her on the ticket. In an interview last evening on CNBC, Palin was very clear on her drill, drill, drill message for Alaska and the rest of the U.S., along with her strong supply-side tax-cutting and free-market economic views. She did not shirk from questions about an investigation of her firing the state’s safety commissioner. She told us she has nothing to hide — let them bring it on. Palin is...

I'm up late sleuthing and found an issue on which both vice presidential candidates have opined, oil resources. The first essay is authored by Senator Biden, and appeared on July 9, 2008 in The News Journal (Wilmington, DE) The second piece is authored by Governor Palin and is an excerpt from her January 17, 2007 State of the State Address. Oil companies have lots of leases to drill. By Senator Joseph Biden (D-DE) When you first hear the idea "let's allow offshore drilling and it will cut gas prices," it sounds like it makes sense, especially when gas is more...

Get this line: The new tax brought in an estimated $6 billion in the last budget year, bulging Alaska's treasury with an expected surplus of as much as $9 billion. Thst enabled Palin to push a second initiative — giving each Alaskan $1,200 to help them cope with high energy costs. Sound familiar? Obama has proposed taxing the windfall profits of the five biggest oil companies and giving people $1,000 to pay for high energy costs. Palin called such financial help "a tool that must be on the table" although she differs with Obama on where the money's source. Like...

Republicans in Congress this June united to defeat a proposed windfall tax on oil companies, deriding it as a bad idea that would discourage investment in U.S. oil exploration. Things worked out far differently in the GOP stronghold of Alaska, a state whose economic fate is closely tied to the oil industry. Over the opposition of oil companies, Republican Gov. Sarah Palin and Alaska's Legislature last year approved a major increase in taxes on the oil industry — a step that has generated stunning new wealth for the state as oil prices soared.

Presidential candidate Barack Obama is touting the Alaska natural gas pipeline. Obama included the project in the energy plan he announced this week, calling for working "with the Canadian government to finally build the Alaska natural gas pipeline, delivering clean natural gas and creating good jobs in the process." That brought the Democrat kudos from Gov. Sarah Palin, who some pundits are pushing as a possible vice presidential running mate for Republican John McCain...

WASHINGTON - If Democrats hoped to paint Republican John McCain a pawn of Big Oil, their task has become a bit more complicated with the selection of Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin as his running mate. While an ardent advocate for more drilling — off Alaska, off the Atlantic and Pacific coasts and in the off-limits Arctic National Wildlife Refuge — Palin also has shown she's not shy about confronting the likes of Exxon Mobil, BP and ConocoPhillips.

Energy Policy: The speaker of the House touts natural gas as an "alternative fuel like wind." Could it be that this time she's put her money where her mouth is?Somewhere in the universe there may be a planet where natural gas is considered an alternative form of energy, but on this one it's still considered a fossil fuel. Yes, it's clean-burning — "the cleanest of all fossil fuels," as the Natural Gas Supply Organization puts it. But it's still a fossil fuel formed deep within the earth, like its coal and petroleum cousins, by extreme pressure and heat. Speaker Pelosi,...

The debate over skyrocketing gas prices and what impact, if any, that should have on auto insurance rates, made me realize that both oil and insurance are industries plagued by a glaring lack of understanding on the part of the public about basic economic facts--ignorance shamefully exploited by politicians like John McCain to create scapegoats and win votes. The way Sen. McCain is pushing for more offshore oil drilling, you would think that all one has to do to "solve" the problem of rising fuel costs is to go to the beach, stick a straw in the sand and fill...