Hillary Clinton has a reputation for thoroughly researching issues. True to form, it’s not hard to find a detailed description of Clinton’s proposed policy for solar energy on her website. In a 14-page fact sheet entitled Powering America’s Future: Hillary Clinton’s Plan to Address the Energy and Climate Crisis, she proposes set a goal that by 2025, 25%of our country’s electricity is produced from solar, wind, biomass and other renewable sources.
In her fact sheet, Clinton pledges to create a permanent 1.9 cent per kilowatt-hour federal tax credit for producing electricity from renewable sources such as solar (currently a federal tax credit for 30% of the cost of a system, up to $2,000 is set to sunset on December 31, 2008). Clinton also hopes to provide tax incentives to families and businesses to install small-scale renewable energy systems, and establish national net-metering standards so that those who install solar photovoltaic and other similar types of equipment can sell power back to their utilities “on fair terms.”
Since we’ve talked about McCain’s and Obama’s views on nuclear power, we’ve looked at what Hillary Clinton thinks as well. Clinton calls herself “agnostic” towards nuclear energy and opposes new subsidies for nuclear power. She proposes to improve safety and security at current nuclear power plants and explore alternatives for the safe disposal of nuclear wastes.
Those who appreciate details will approve of Clinton’s comprehensive road map for environmental policy. Her 14-page fact sheet touches on all the “hot button” environmental issues our country faces today. Like Obama, she too acknowledges that climate change must drive public policy and her website emphasizes her proposal to create a cap and trade system for carbon emissions. (Obama supports a similar plan.)
In the end, it’s hard to distinguish Hillary Clinton’s proposed environmental policy plan from Barak Obama’s. Both presidential candidates consider climate change a fundamental issue and support “cap and trade” solutions. Both candidates explicitly include solar energy in their mix of renewable energy solutions and both pledge to bolster the renewable energy industry through supportive policies and strong leadership.
If you are interested in a comprehensive analysis of what a “green organization” thinks of Hillary Clinton, Barak Obama and the other candidates’ environmental proposals, check out Grist, www.grist.org. Grist staff writer David Roberts devotes considerable time to comparing and contrasting each candidate’s views on the environment.
