Taking the green lead

It's convenient to have a scorecard in the game of politics. The April 16 edition of Newsweek, titled "Leadership and the Environment," sizes up the Presidential candidates and provides just that. Naturally, this only represents Democrats and Republicans, ironically excluding "alternative choices" in the realm of politics. However, it's instructive to see how the frontrunners are leading by example and what their agenda would be if elected.

Today, I'm covering the Democrats.

Hillary Clinton

What she's done: A member of the environment committeee, she voted for a 2003 bill (and cosponsored McCain's bill this session) that would've capped greenhouse gas emissions.

What she'll do: Has proposed eliminating tax breaks for oil companies (and using that money to invest in alternative energy) and quadrupling the existing tax break for hybrid car owners.

How Green is she? The Clintons are redoing their entire home for maximum energy efficiency, hiring consultants to come up with greener lighting, heating and power-generation solutions. (Update: Hillary's campaign announced that it was going carbon neutral in an April 20th news release).

Barack Obama

What he's done: Co-sponsorsed McCain's greenhouse gas bill; introduced a bill giving tax breaks to gas stations selling alternative fuels; advocated an increase in fuel-economy standards

What he'll do: Talks up clean-coal tech. Promises to up research funding for alternative-energy sources and push for plan to require the government to use either flex-fuel or hybrid vehicles.

How green is he? Obama's campaign leases a flex-fuel GMC Yukon that can run on gasoline or an ethanol blend-though he admits that it's often hard to find ethanol in Chicago.

John Edwards

What he's done: Criticized efforts to roll back the Clean Air Act, consistently opposed drilling in ANWR and supported legislation that would have reduced power-plant emissions.

What he'll do: Hopes to create 1 million new jobs by investing in a "new-energy economy" and has called for a climate treaty that would ask all nations-even developing ones-to reduce pollution.

How green is he? His new mansion uses solar panels to heat water, he traded in his SUV for a hybrid Ford Escape and he's pledged to run a "carbon neutral" campaign.

My take

I'm totally unimpressed with Obama. Sounds like he's doing a lot more talking than doing, and what's up with leasing a flex-fuel behemoth when there's no flex fuel available? Last I checked, he had some pull in his state to make something like that happen. I like Hilary's idea of eliminating tax breaks for big oil, but I wonder if that would ever get through congress. Tax breaks for hybrids has been a big winner in converting people so far, but she would also need to eliminate the loopholes and quirks that go with it. Edwards' "new-energy economy" has an appealing ring to it, but 1 million jobs is far too modest, in my opinion. It represents less then one percent of the employed work force over 16. I can't put a number on a number that sounds like real change, but that's too low. Conversely, his global climate treaty, in the current political landscape, seems like pie in the sky. The obvious matter of China is going to require unprecedented political manpower and economic incentives to slow down it's untethered growth and related byproducts. A treaty is only as good as the power vested to enforce it.

There are no clear cut winners here but, based on green credentials alone, Barack Obama comes up well short of the other two candidates. Next time, the Republicans...