McCain trots out his 'green' credentials in Oregon

U.S. Sen. John McCain: Getty Images PhotoStepping onto a stage which has thus far been dominated by Sens. Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama, Sen. John McCain needed an issue that would gain traction with independents and moderates in Oregon, a state which is expected to be a battleground in November.

His answer? Global warming.

McCain -- who has bucked Republican Party orthodoxy in the past by recognizing global warming -- will give a speech today at the wind turbine manufacturer, Vestas Training Facility, in Portland, in which he will tout the marriage of the free market and environmentalism.

The planned remarks center on the presidential contender's plan for a cap-and-trade system intended to, according to an advance copy of his remarks, "seek a return to 2005 levels of emission [by the year 2012], by 2020, a return to 1990 levels, and so on until we have achieved at least a reduction of sixty percent below 1990 levels by the year 2050."

He believes the power of the free market is the greatest weapon against global warming: "It is very hard to picture venture capitalists, corporate planners, small businesses and environmentalists all working to the same good purpose. But such cooperation is actually possible in the case of climate change, and this reform will set it in motion."

McCain will also stress the future of nuclear power, a controversial energy source due to problems such as waste storage and the potential for dual-use technology; "here we have a known, proven energy source that requires exactly zero emissions. We have 104 nuclear reactors in our country, generating about twenty percent of our electricity. These reactors alone spare the atmosphere from about 700 million metric tons of carbon dioxide that would otherwise be released every year.... New research and innovation will help the industry to overcome the well known drawbacks to nuclear power, such as the transport and storage of waste."

McCain's remarks flow from the further development of nuclear power in the United States and Europe to working with countries such as China and India. Although he advocates for nuclear power in the West, he does not mention it in regards to China and India, arenas where it might not be as desirable as an energy alternative. (India, although it is widely known to have nuclear technology, is not a signatory to the Nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty, the cornerstone of global non-proliferation.)

"China, India, and other developing economic powers in particular are among the greatest contributors to global warming today -- increasing carbon emissions at a furious pace -- and they are not receptive to international standards. Nor do they think that we in the industrialized world are in any position to preach the good news of carbon-emission control."

McCain's remarks also take a minute to seemingly chide President Bush and well as to distinguish the two men on this issue: "As president, I will have to deal with the same set of facts. I will not shirk the mantle of leadership that the United States bears. I will not permit eight long years to pass without serious action on serious challenges. I will not accept the same dead-end of failed diplomacy that claimed Kyoto. The United States will lead and will lead with a different approach -- an approach that speaks to the interests and obligations of every nation."

The Obama campaign, the Democratic Party of Oregon and the Democratic National Committee were all quick to jump on the Senator's greening heels, trying to ensure that McCain is not wielding un-earned ‘maverick' stripes from the issue of global warming.

The Obama campaign passed on an article in the Huffington Post, which examines McCain's voting record, and also casts his choice of venue in a new light.

The 2005 Energy Bill-which McCain opposed as an "irresponsible" handout "to big business and oil companies"-offered historic subsidies for alternative energy sources, including clean wind energy. Vestas was party of the trade association which pushed for the legislation.

According to Marc Seigel, DPO spokesman, "McCain's environmental record shows he's competing with climate change as the big environmental threat to plant Earth."

Siegel noted the candidates' lifetime scores from the League of Conservation Voters: McCain received a 24 percent rating, while Clinton scored an 87 percent, and Obama, 86 percent.

Siegel also made the more subtle argument regarding McCain's support for conservative judges counters the candidate's ‘maverick' claim. McCain has repeatedly supported socially conservative judges, a record that is worrying environmentalists such as Joseph Romm, a former Energy Department efficiency and renewable energy official.

Environmentalists are worried that judges appointed by McCain "would overturn last year's landmark 5-4 ruling -- in Massachusetts v. Environmental Protection Agency -- that the EPA has the authority to regulate carbon dioxide under existing laws. 'We will have a devil of a time getting serious action on global warming if the Supreme Court reverses its position," said Romm in a DPO statement. T

The DNC took a different tact in trying to discredit McCain's commitment to the environment, citing the fact that McCain Fundraisers and advisers have earned over $13 million dollars lobbying for oil and related interests.