revisions on blog 2

In an election between two very different candidates, Barrack Obama and John McCain have managed to find some common ground – losing our dependence on foreign oil. The problem is how each candidate chooses to free us from our foreign oil bonds. The presidential hopefuls are both very focused on their energy policies and both have their pros and cons, but overall Obama’s plan to stop importing oil and start using alternative fuels has better promise and more economic benefit.

Oil hasn’t been this hotly debated since the shortage of the 1970’s. McCain’s running mate Sarah Palin has been around the oil business in Alaska and believes drilling is the only solution to America’s energy problem. Both McCain and Obama agree that drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) is out of the question, but Palin thinks otherwise. In an interview with NBC’s Maria Bartoromo, Palin emphasizes that drilling in select parts of ANWR would yield great amounts of oil while not disrupting wildlife. I did some research on ANWR and it is 19 million acres of land on the Northeastern coast of Alaska that is populated by many endangered species some becoming more endangered as a result of global warming. Palin’s stance on this issue is that the oil platforms will only take up about 2,000 acres and therefore will not disturb anything. The issue she ignores is the pipeline that has to be put in to get the oil back to refineries that would cut through ANWR and severely interrupt the natural environment . Critics have also pointed out that the many oil platforms are spread throughout ANWR and the roads and weigh stations connecting the many platforms will harm wildlife and natural beauty.
This is kind of off topic but I find it interesting that Palin has many of her own views some of which disagree with those of John McCain and the GOP. Instead of Drilling in ANWR McCain supports drilling in the outer continental shelf of the US. He is also a huge supporter of nuclear energy something Obama is hesitant to support without further safety features.

On the other hand Obama wants to use 15 billion dollars towards developing and refining alternative energies such as wind and solar. He would also impose a profit tax on all oil companies to try to discourage high prices. Obama’s goal is to eliminate our dependence on foreign Oil in ten years. Much faster than McCain’s 25 year plan. Obama proposes higher fuel efficiency standards and lower carbon emissions standards. A $7,000 tax credit also goes to any person who invests in an advanced vehicle. He also intends to put over 1 million plug in hybrid cars capable of getting over 150 mpg on the road by 2015. McCain proposes going 45% nuclear by 2030 which is great, but his plan lacks many other aspects that would make it as reliable and stable as Obama’s. Rather than support higher standards of fuel efficiency McCain plans to implement penalties for violating current standards. I believe in the saying “you catch more flies with honey than with vinegar” so Obama’s positive incentive plan is more convincing to me.

In the end there will be drilling in the US. McCain promises it as our chief source of energy, while Obama uses it as a mode of weaning ourselves off of foreign oil while developing alternative energies at the same time.