John Kerry's position on

Renewables: The United States is highly dependent on other countries to meet our energy needs, especially for oil, as we consume 2.5 million barrels of oil per day (Kerry website link: http://www.johnkerry.com/issues/energy/. One possible alternative to consuming so much oil is to develop programs in our country to use renewable sources such as ethanol or biodiesel instead.

Description of candidate's position: Kerry's plan includes increasing the use of domestically available renewable fuels by 5 billion gallons by 2012. This includes ethanol, biodiesel, and waste biomass. The plan would provide funding and financing mechanism for further research in this area. Kerry's website.

Quotation from the candidate: "When it comes to getting gas prices under control, George Bush has misled America. America is more dependent than ever on Mid-East oil. John and I have a plan to make America energy independent by investing in new technologies and alternative fuels. John and I believe we need to rely on American ingenuity and brainpower to ensure our country's freedom and independence, not on the Royal Saudi family." September 2, 2004. Link.

Assessment of the proposal:

Positive: Joe Jobe, the executive director of the National Biodiesel Board, speaking at a biofuels conference, stated that biodiesel is a very viable alternative, as it burns cleaner, is better for the environment, helps farmers find a market for their crops, and is currently one of the fastest growing renewable fuels industries. Link

Negative: The CATO Institute, a non-profit public policy research foundation, disagrees with the use of ethanol as an alternative energy source. "Ethanol is a poor energy source, costing more than twice as much as the wholesale price of gasoline to produce. Yet gasohol generates less power than gasoline, delivering about 5% fewer miles per gallon." Also, "nor is gasohol environment-friendly. It often leads to vapor lock and is more explosive than gasoline. And while ethanol use might reduce carbon-monoxide emissions, it increases hydrocarbon and nitrogen oxide output."

Comparison: Both candidates state that they want to increase the amounts of renewable fuels by 5 billon gallons by 2012, but Bush also has plan for hydro-fueled cars and he claims that Kerry has voted against the same sorts of incentives for ethanol that he now says he supports. Link.

Link to Bush's issue page