John McCain's Contorted Position on the Environment

The Maverick strikes again. No sooner had the senator from Arizona unveiled a flashy new ad touting his global warming bona fides and opposition to the Bush administration's (non-existent) climate policies than he had already proclaimed the need for more offshore drilling -- and sought cash from his new Texas oilmen friends (curiously, soon thereafter the president announced his support for offshore drilling). This shameless flip-flop marks just the latest backtrack in a long series of environmental policy revisions by the presumptive Republican nominee.

This, of course, comes as no surprise to those among the blogosphere and environmental community who have been following McCain's environmental missteps since his failed 2000 bid. While the MSM's tongue remains firmly planted down the senator's throat, most independent-minded observers have witnessed his early advocacy fall prey to lobbying interests and his party's ideological allies in the business community. Indeed, the man described as having "strikingly different views" from the president on the environment by NYT reporter Elisabeth Bumiller has a lifetime League of Conservation Voters (LCV) score of 24 percent. His 2007 LCV score -- wait for it -- was a pathetic 0.

Yes, thanks to his cheerleaders in the press, we've consistently been led to believe that the man who supported a gas tax holiday, who voted to consider a provision allowing drilling in ANWR and who was recently inducted into the Petroleum Club is, in fact, a lifelong environmentalist. The senator himself seems to lack a solid grasp of his own positions on the environment: As Gristmill's Kate Sheppard reported last week, McCain contradicted his proposed cap-and-trade scheme when he told a news conference he would oppose a mandatory cap. This suggests that the senator has either been lying through his teeth or, perhaps even worse, that he simply doesn't understand how a cap-and-trade system would work in practice.

And let's not forget that the Republican candidate opposes extending renewable energy tax credits to support clean energy development (while endorsing massive giveaways for the nuclear industry), is against raising CAFE standards and supports the appointment of conservative judges who would gut existing environmental legislation. Some will undoubtedly try to defend McCain's actions by blaming his current posturing on electoral politics. If that's the case, then why does the senator have such an abysmal lifetime environmental record? And, given his bobbing and weaving on other issues, including tax cuts, civil rights and campaign finance, who's to say he's even to be trusted?

McCain and his acolytes have tried to couch their support for offshore drilling -- a practice he vehemently opposed in 2000 on the grounds that it would degrade coastal areas and only offer temporary relief, at best -- by arguing that record gas prices and the need for energy independence trump other concerns. Never mind the fact that energy analysts (even full-throated skeptics at the American Petroleum Institute) estimate that it could take 7-10 years before we can gain access to that offshore oil. The senator and his allies would do well to listen to the words of a prescient colleague who argued against offshore drilling in 2005: "The worst thing we can do as a nation is taking the easy way out. ... If you start opening up offshore drilling, then you are buying time and you are not addressing the fundamental problem with fossil fuels." The senator who made that informed statement? Lindsey Graham, one of McCain's top boosters.

Image from Ohio AFL-CIO Labor '08

Follow Jeremy Jacquot on Twitter: www.twitter.com/jejacquot

Comments

[tribalypredisposed]

Let me just remind people that McCain just called for 45 new nuclear plants to be built. While the nuclear industry is happy to claim "green" with the enormous lie that they are Global Warming fighters, the truth is that new nuclear plants will produce the same CO2 per kw that coal plants produce. Add up the CO2 produced in buiding and mothballing the plant and the CO2 produced mining and refining the lower and lower grade uranium ore available and you have very very expensive "coal" plants with waste that is a huge problem and costing 12-16 times as much as a coal plant over their lifetimes.

Nuclear is the solution to nothing. If we are rejecting solar and wind because they are 2 to 3 times the cost of coal, how does turning to dirty CO2 producing dangerous nuclear plants at 6 to 8 times the cost of solar make sense at all?

What part of that is logical? Straight talk your way out of that one, McCain.

[Krikkit]

This quote from a recent town hall meeting says it all I think:

""You don't have to be real smart. I stood fifth from the bottom of my class at the naval academy, which shows in America anything is possible." -- John McWhatever at a recent town hall meeting.

[Viper]

67% of Americans favor offshore drilling. One spill in 40 years from offshore rigs. Every country in the world that has oil offshore is drilling offshore. If they were not, the north east would freeze this year and oil would be $15/Gal.

Not having more oil/natural gas means more dirty coal is being used around the world... water and air both flow around the globe... so if everyone is doing it... our loan vote does not mean much except or econmy suffers and trade deficits soar at a time when we will need the money and the time to switch over to WIND/SOLAR.

Regards

[bgregs]

And yet the oilcos currently have more than 10,000 leases that they aren't using to drill for oil with AT LEAST 13 Billion barrels of oil. Once they drill THOSE sites, THEN we can talk about letting them drill MORE sites. Furthermore, we REALLY need to get off of oil, and use a combination of conservation and ALTERNATIVE energy!!!

[georgiaR]

Gas at over $4.00 a gallon - we need to do everything - including drilling!

[PioneerKing]

McCain has one of the lowest environmental scores compared not just to democrats but, his score one of the worst for republicans as well. Regardless, McCain's buddies in the main stream media will proclaim how strong on the environment McCain is despite the facts to the contrary.

[Torus34]

Wow!

John McCain is 'offering' $300M as an incentive!

But just whose $300M? His or ours?

There's a big difference, you know.

[demfriend]

John McCain running to for with the help of lobbyists in and outside of his campaign! Who has the money and is willing to give to him is hwo holds his moral and enviornment standings. Not much has changed except he has gotten older and his memory fails him. He has always used other people for his own gain and nothing will stop that now. He has lost a lot of what he once had as appeal to those who thought he was a maverick and now know better. He is a wash out and a sell out when it comes to money and what he wants. This late in his life and early this last campaign he looked like he was done and others would run past him for the republican nominee but here he is and the republicans have to ask how he got there. He is just damn happy he is at the place where he finally could win the prize after 2000 but he has a whole lot of baggage he wil find out getting tossed around as soon as MSM figures out just what a fool he is making them look like for being his sponser. The owners of MSM might not want the country to remember all of Macs issues but they will be reminded.

[Camel54]

Republicans denied the existence of Global Climate Change until now. McCain was ahead of the curve by addressing the issue a whopping five years ago. They derided Al Gore and the scientists who provided the information Gore used as the basis of his argument. The ditto heads out there still mock climate change proponents as idiots and provide nonsense explanations for the changes we are witnessing.

And they're asking us to trust them to fix the problem--pure idiocy.

[karela]

John McCain's environmental score is zero. Obama's score is 96. There's a reason for that, that has nothing to do with McCain's rhetoric, and everything to do with the way he actually votes. He's OK with the environment unless there is any possibility of anybody anywhere making money by trashing it. And if the trashers happen to be his financial supporters, all the better. With McCain, money grubbers always come before taking care of the planet. He's old. Why should he care what happens ten years from now?

[bgregs]

You're partly correct. While McCain will gladly allow someone to make money by trashing the environment, and won't stand in their way if they're not a contributor, he will only stick his neck out if they ARE a contributor!

[not one of the sheep]

I would argue that Obama is also owned by the environvmental extremists. The "trashing the environment" spew is getting old and worn out. Norway, which are the kings and queens of environmentalism, have been offshore drilling and are enjoying a prestine environment along with a thriving economy due to common sense which our goverment does not possess. The Euros which we adore have been harnassing nuclear power for years and are building reactors to meet the demand of the public. We, of course, are sitting on our haunches looking like the village idiots to the rest of the world. We must incorporate ALL the options avaliable which are conservation, drilling, and technological advances in alternative energy. To make ignorant comments that only contributors will be favored is not doing anyone any good. To put the Obama energy plan into context, I should tell my child not to pursue a college degree because that will not do them any good for at least four years. McDonalds is paying $7.00 an hour so be happy with what you have and quit looking into the future because it isn't worth it. Quit the partisan blather from both parties and work together to address the problem that both parties have failed to correct for the past 40 years.

[jlmealer]

Progressive Candidate John McCain comes through for America with his 3R economic plan.
In the persona of Theodore Roosevelt, McCain’s plan makes sense.

1. RETHINK: America must rethink the global views on what America is capable of in our current state of technology, engineering and the demands that face the world.

“RE-Think” the basic job goals involve the dwindling retirement, health care and social security plans that are failing Americans. With a strong base and a higher Gross Domestic Product (GDP) America has a new bargaining chip in the way we live and the ways we retire.

The framework is already in place through existing laws to make this happen. The Progressive attitude of John McCain to get things done by crossing party lines will resurrect America.

2. REFORM: America must rise to these demands and compete aggressively in a global economy. American people must demand higher quality products and less restricted trade routes for Made in USA components.

The USA will reform its dead manufacturing base to create the most innovative and green-engineered products possible. We will compete in a world market along with other high quality products. Once again, the world needs American success in these new ways of manufacturing.

3. REINVENT: America and Americans must reinvent themselves to reach and maintain these standards and by sheer American ingenuity, control the world’s marketplace in the competitive manner, as we have always been proud to be #1. Can you hear Theodore Roosevelt shouting this?

Americans are going

[bgregs]

That damn environment! What has it ever done for US?????? Answer me that, and I'll give you environmental protection laws!

[TreesPlease]

Obviously you don't eat here, sleep here or perform other body functions here on planet earth. May I remind you that without air, food and water you are nothing - all coming from the environment. Or did you believe that the stuff coming out of your tap is created by the Municipal Government. More fool you?
The earth can self-sustain, man cannot, you depend on the earth and environment to live.

[bgregs]

sorry, I was trying to be sarcastic here, I guess it didn't translate very well!

[Liberoservative]

I think that was sarcasm... :)