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Barack Obama
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"Global warming is real, is happening now and is the result of human activities. The number of Category 4 and 5 hurricanes has almost doubled in the last 30 years. Glaciers are melting faster; the polar ice caps are shrinking; trees are blooming earlier; oceans are becoming more acidic, threatening marine life; people are dying in heat waves; species are migrating, and eventually many will become extinct. Scientists predict that absent major emission reductions, climate change will worsen famine and drought in some of the poorest places in the world and wreak havoc across the globe. In the U.S., sea-level rise threatens to cause massive economic and ecological damage to our populated coastal areas."
"We know our oil dependency is jeopardizing our planet as well. That the fossil fuels we burn are setting off a chain of dangerous weather patterns that could condemn future generations to global catastrophe."
Voted YES on factoring global warming into federal project planning
Kerry Amendment; Bill S.Amdt.1094 to H.R.1495 ; vote number 2007-166 on May 15, 2007
"We have a government that says climate change is a hoax."
"This is the administration that commissioned government experts and scientists to do a study on global warming, only to omit the part from the final report that said it was caused by humans. This is the administration that didn’t try to improve the Kyoto Treaty by trying to include oil guzzlers like China and India, but walked away from the entire global effort to stem climate change."
Obama will build on our domestic commitments by creating a negotiating process that involves a smaller number of countries than the nearly 200 countries in the current Kyoto system. Obama will create a Global Energy Forum - based on the G8+5, which included all G-8 members plus Brazil, China, India, Mexico and South Africa - of the world's largest emitters to focus exclusively on global energy and environmental issues.
Obama's comprehensive plan to combat global warming will: Invest $150 billion over the next ten years to develop and deploy climate friendly energy supplies, protect our existing manufacturing base and create millions of new jobs.
Obama wanted to spend the proceeds of the pollution auction - perhaps as much as $50 billion - on alternative energy research and development.
Time Magazine, November 19, 2007
"This requires concrete steps to move us toward energy independence including requiring that 20% of the nation's power supply portfolio come from renewable sources like wind, solar, biomass and geothermal energy by 2020, and that a percentage of our nation's fuel supply is provided by renewable fuels such as ethanol and biodiesel."
Campaign website, ObamaForIllinois.org, "On the Issues" Sep 28, 2004
He sponsored the Biodiesel Fuel Act to require diesel fuel sold in Illinois to contain at least two percent biodiesel fuel by volume.
Campaign website, ObamaForIllinois.org, "On the Issues" Sep 28, 2004
Barack Obama said Friday that presidential rival John McCain's proposal to allow offshore drilling "makes absolutely no sense at all" as he headed to Florida to put the Republican on the spot over the issue. Obama said opening up the U.S. coastline to oil exploration would not give Americans any appreciable savings until 2030.
Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama said on Friday he would back limited offshore drilling as part of a broader energy package that attempted to bring down gas prices and reduce U.S. dependence on foreign oil. Obama dropped his blanket opposition to any expansion of offshore drilling and signaled support for a bipartisan compromise in Congress aimed at breaking a deadlock on energy that includes limited drilling.
"We could save as much, in terms of our fuel, if we increased our fuel efficiency standards, as much as we would from getting Alaska drilling going immediately. And that's been the Bush strategy increasing production for oil and gas companies, subsidizing them to the tune of 20 billion dollars, as opposed to thinking about how, not only, we can develop alternative fuels."
IL Senate Debate Oct 26, 2004
Voted YES on removing oil & gas exploration subsidies
Creating Long-Term Energy Alternatives for the Nation (CLEAN); Bill H.R.6 ; vote number 2007-226 on Jun 21, 2007
Voted YES on disallowing an oil leasing program in Alaska's ANWR
Bar Oil and Gas Leasing amendment; Bill S Amdt 2358 to S 1932 ; vote number 2005-288 on Nov 3, 2005
Voted YES on banning drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge
Arctic National Wildlife Refuge anti-drilling Amendment; Bill S AMDT 168 to S.Con.Res. 18 ; vote number 2005-52 on Mar 16, 2005
Obama's comprehensive plan to combat global warming will: Implement an economy-wide cap-and-trade program to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to the level recommended by top scientists to avoid calamitous impacts.
"As president, I will place a cap on carbon emissions and require companies who can't meet the cap to buy credits from those who can, which will generate billions of dollars to invest in renewable sources of energy and create new jobs and even a new industry in the process. I'll put in place a low carbon fuel standard that will take 50 million cars worth of pollution off the road."
Take Back America 2007 Conference Jun 19, 2007
"I actually think we should explore nuclear power as part of the energy mix. There are no silver bullets to this issue. We've got to develop solar. I have proposed raising fuel efficiency standards on cars. An aggressive cap on the amount of greenhouse gases that can be emitted. But we are going to have to try a series of different approaches."
Q: "...I would like to know if you are truly comfortable with the safety of nuclear power...?" OBAMA: "...Until the nuclear industry can show they can produce clean, safe energy without enormous subsidies from the US government, I don't think that's the best option..."
"I have proposed drastically increasing fuel efficiency standards on cars, an aggressive cap on the amount of greenhouse gases that can be emitted."
2007 YouTube Democratic Primary debate, Charleston SC Jul 23, 2007
"It's time to turn the page on energy, to break the stalemate that's kept our fuel efficiency standards in the same place for 20 years, to tell the oil and auto industries that they must act, not only because their future's at stake, but because the future of our country and our planet is at stake...I'll raise the fuel efficiency standards for our cars and trucks because we know we have the technology to do it and it's the time to do it."
Take Back America 2007 Conference Jun 19, 2007
"It is time to install flex-fuel tanks on every car, and for government to cover this small cost."
Should Barack Obama Be President?, by Fred Zimmerman, p.44-5 Oct 17, 2006
Obama will increase Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) to 40 mpg for cars from their current mid-1980's level.
Campaign website, ObamaForIllinois.com Jun 25, 2004
"If we're going to have timber industries operating on public land then we should make sure that old-growth forests aren't destroyed but it's that second growth are what are harvested."
Obama supports a true preservation policy for our nation's parks and forests. Obama fought efforts to drill in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge and voted to prohibit the use of funds to construct new roads in Alaska's Tongass National Forest.
Campaign website, BarackObama.com, "Resource Flyers" Aug 26, 2007
Obama has been a strong supporter of the Great Lakes Regional Collaboration and co-sponsored the Great Lakes Environmental Restoration Act.
Campaign website, BarackObama.com, "Resource Flyers" Aug 26, 2007
"The goal of the Endangered Species Act of 1973 is to conserve and protect both the species that are threatened or in danger of extinction and the ecosystems upon which they depend. It currently protects more than 1,200 animal and plant species, of which approximately 25 are found in Illinois. The law can become controversial, however, when projects that may conflict with the ecosystem of species listed as threatened or endangered are proposed in a particular area. I strongly support the goals of the Endangered Species Act, which has paved the way for a number of species - - such as the bald eagle - - to return from the brink of extinction. However, during the past 30 years the Endangered Species Act has not always worked perfectly. With all of its accomplishments, we have learned not only what works, but also what is ineffective. Consequently, the Endangered Species Act needs to be updated and improved. And that means moving past rigid ideological positions so that we can reach consensus on the right solutions."
"We'll make sure that public transportation is both available and affordable for low-income workers, because no one should be denied work in this country because they can't get there."
Voted NO on restoring $550M in funding for Amtrak for 2007
As president, Barack Obama will re-evaluate the transportation funding process to ensure that smart growth considerations are taken into account. Obama will build upon his efforts in the Senate to ensure that more Metropolitan Planning Organizations create policies to incentivize greater bicycle and pedestrian usage of roads and sidewalks, and he will also re-commit federal resources to public mass transportation projects across the country.
Three quarters of welfare recipients live in areas that are poorly served by public transportation and low-income workers spend up to 36 percent of their incomes on transportation. As president, Barack Obama will work to eliminate transportation disparities. Obama will double the federal Jobs Access and Reverse Commute program to ensure that additional federal public transportation dollars flow to the highest-need communities and that urban planning initiatives take this aspect of transportation policy into account.