Bob:
I thought your recent column on Green Jobs Or Drill Baby Drill was very good. However, it did not fully develop the option that voters will have this fall on the energy issue. The choice is really not green jobs vs. drill baby drill. It is much more striking than that.
While McDonnell/Bolling does support developing Virginia’s off shore energy resources; we are also for green energy projects, such as wind, solar and biofuels. We also support reasonable conservation programs, as long as they are based on sound science and not political science.
So the difference between our position and our opponents is not that we support off shore energy and they support green energy. We actually support a wide diversity of energy options while the only thing they seem to support is green energy. (In fact, I seriously doubt that they would support many wind projects when the opposition starts complaining about the visual impact of turbines and their impact on avian wildlife.)
Let’s recap. Our opponents oppose nuclear, they oppose clean coal, they oppose off shore and their position on wind is precarious. That really leaves them with just solar, biofuels and conservation. We all know that solar and biofuels are not yet cost effective and conservation alone cannot solve our energy problem. So in the final analysis they have no realistic energy plan at all.
The real choice in the campaign is between a team who has a realistic, workable and diverse plan that will position Virginia as the nation’s leader in energy (that is McDonnell/Bolling) and a team who has no plan at all, i.e., our opponents.
Or put another way, if you want to help America achieve a greater degree of energy security and you want to help Virginia achieve a greater degree of economic security you vote for McDonnell/Bolling. If you want to continue a policy that promotes dependence on foreign sources of energy and let’s someone else become the nation’s leader in energy you vote for our opponents.
I think we win that debate.
Bill
Dear Lieutenant Governor Bolling:
It is my understanding that the McDonnell/Bolling ticket supports offshore drilling. What research have you done that supports the position that offshore drilling does not harm the environment? Also, if Virginia starts a policy of offshore drilling for oil, just how long will Virginians have to wait until oil is found and processed for consumer consumption? While Virginians are waiting for the mass production of offshore drilling, will residents of the state still be dependent on foreign oil and other foreign sources of energy?
There is no doubt that a mix of energy sources is required — to imply that some don’t understand that is misleading. But if we fail to have the discipline to draw the line at tough choices now, and we don’t have faith in free market capitalism to respond to the new opportunities that are opened up as a result of our choices, we will never achieve energy independence. It has been 35 years since the Arab oil embargo. Yet here is the Republican ticket calling for expensive exploration of offshore oil that will meet only a tiny fraction of US demand (but will further enrich entrenched corporate interests), instead of providing the bold leadership needed to change our energy future.
You should never use the words coal and clean together…Coal is not a clean source of energey and there are many many reports to confirm it’s filth in the environment and it’s health hazard to people and animals.