Obama may as well. . .

www.usatoday.com/news/poli...cain_N.htm

By David Jackson, USA TODAY
WASHINGTON — John McCain heads to the Pacific Northwest today to propose a climate-change plan, addressing an issue integral to his presidential bid in a region that could be crucial.

The Arizona senator, who often cites climate change as a policy difference with President Bush, plans to renew support for a "cap-and-trade" system that "sets clear limits on all greenhouse gases, while also allowing the sale of rights to excess emissions," according to excerpts of his speech released Sunday.

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McCain is scheduled to speak at a wind power facility in Portland, Ore. "The facts of global warming demand our urgent attention, especially in Washington," McCain says in the prepared remarks.

McCain, the presumptive GOP presidential candidate, plans to propose a series of goals for reduction of carbon emissions, ending at 60% below 1990 levels by the year 2050.
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A cap-and-trade system would "change the dynamic of our energy economy," McCain says in the prepared remarks. It would encourage industry to adopt or develop cleaner forms of energy, such as wind, solar, nuclear and "clean coal."

After a day in Oregon, McCain also is scheduled to discuss the environment Tuesday in Washington state. Those states are among those "being discussed as target states" for the fall campaign, said Tucker Bounds, a McCain campaign spokesman.

A native of Oregon, Bounds said voters there like politicians who work with members of the other party. "They tend to be more independent, much more in the framework of John McCain," he said.

The Democratic National Committee, meanwhile, is challenging McCain's credentials as an environmentalist. It developed a list of McCain supporters who have lobbied for oil companies or run companies that have been cited for pollution. DNC Chairman Howard Dean said in a statement that McCain would "appoint right-wing judges bent on gutting environmental regulations."

As a senator, McCain has long backed cap-and-trade legislation. The idea is that companies that exceed emissions caps could buy credits from those that pollute less, giving them time to develop cleaner technologies without cutting production.

Bush has warned that government-imposed restrictions would hurt the U.S. economy. The administration has sponsored meetings among the world's major polluters to work out voluntary plans to reduce heat-trapping emissions.

During a recent appearance on The Daily Show, McCain talked about his differences with the Bush administration, citing climate change along with increases in federal spending and "the failed strategy that was employed in the war in Iraq." Democrats have repeatedly tried to link McCain to the unpopular Republican president.

Bush and McCain do agree on some environmental and energy items. Both support the increased use of nuclear power. Both also say any global climate-change agreement should include China and India, major polluters as well as international economic competitors.

In the prepared remarks, McCain says that if China and India refuse to participate in an international solution to global warming, he would work with other governments to impose some sort of "cost equalization mechanism" on those nations.

Environmental organizations said McCain deserves credit for his cap-and-trade proposals, but some called them inadequate in face of the threats posed by global warming.

One group, the League of Conservation Voters, said McCain has a congressional career score of 24% on environmental issues.

In a statement, Gene Karpinski, the group's president, said it appears that McCain "hopes to use global warming and the environment to distance himself from the Bush administration," but given McCain's record, "that distance can be measured in inches."

. . .better watch these guys. Edwards had a good position on alt energy and Clinton's position was better than Obama's.