Where do the candidates stand?

The primaries are at a boil at we are getting a much cleare sense of who the presidential candidates may be in the next election. As an esteemed and respected (don't ask me by who) blogger, I feel like it is my duty to inform my readers where each of these candidates stand on environmental issues. After all, one of these candidates will be guiding our environment and energy for at least the next 4 years, at a time when such issues have never been more important.

This week I will run through the two Repuiblican candidates, Senator John McCain from Arizona and Governor of Arkansas Mike Huckabee. I chose the Republicans first because I wanted to compare two candidates from each side and who knows how long Mr. Huckabee will be around before the McCain train speeds through.

Before I begin, read this article in the New York Times regarding the problems with biofuel. I have been working on an article about the problems with corn ethanol you can check out at The Cat Scan, an online publication written by journalism students at the University of Arizona about green living.

Presidential candidate, Mike Huckabee:

• Believes America needs to achieve energy independendence and claims he will do so by the end of his second term if elected.


• Is not convinced global warming is man made


• As a religious man he believe humans are stewards of the Earth and its our responsibility to God to keep it clean.


• Believes we will achieve energy independence through creating an energy marketplace to turn innovaters loose to solve the problem.


• Has no specific plan, states we will probably need a combination of nuclear, wind, solar, biofuel, ethanol, etc.


• Claims environmental issues are not the only reasons for energy independence. He believes reliance on foreign energy puts us at the mercy of regimes such as Saudi Arabia, Russia, and Venezuela and it is a national security issue. He says we can't rely on these countries for the products we need to protect ourselves.


• Supports a cap and trade system for carbon emissions.


• Supports nuclear energy

Hear ol' Huck talk about energy independence:

Hear the Huckster answer questions about global warming:


Hear Huckybags talk energy independence and national security:





If you still need more, here you go:

• The Huckmeister's position on energy independence from his official website


• Informative interview about environmental topics from Grist online.


• A good summary of his platform

Hope that gives you a good idea on Huckabee's environmental stance. Next up......

Arizona senator John McCain believes:

• Considered the "greenest" Republican presidential candidate.


• Cosponsored first congress bill requiring mandatory greehouse reductions in 2003.


• Believes in cap-and trade system as well as profit-driven green technological advancements.


• Staunch critic of the Bush administration's lack of action regarding global warming


• Opposed the Bush/Cheney energy bill of 07'


• Voted against drilling in Arctic Refuge


• Does not believe in an international climate agreement (Kyoto Protocal for example) unless India and China also sign on


• Believes nuclear energy is a necessity to reduce emissions


• Believes in Ethanol now (did not earlier), but not subsidies for them

Listen to McCain speak about green issues at Stanford:

Mr. McCain talks frank about green issues, great summary of his view


20 minutes of the Republican residential candidate front-runner speaking very frankly about the green issues that set him apart from other Republicans.


Finally, a couple more resources for you to sink your teeth into if you are still curious,

• McCain's interview from Grist online on environmental issues
• The senator's official position on his website
• Great summary of John McCain's voting record (other candidates as well)

Next week we look at the Democratic candidates: Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama

Shane