This blog is the third in a series of blogs examining the energy positions of Presidential candidates Mitt Romney, Barack Obama, Jill Stein and Gary Johnson. SACE staff Chris Carnevale and Jennifer Rennicks contributed to this post. Note: The Southern Alliance for Clean Energy does not support or oppose candidates or political parties. Links to reports, candidate websites and outside sources are provided as citizen education tools.
A few notable items from this word cloud are the words “global”, “warming”, and “green”, “clean” and “energy.” Also, notice there are sizable contributions from “conservation” and “efficiency.” While a word cloud isn’t completely indicative of a party’s intricate policy positions, it is somewhat illuminating to a party’s priorities. Let’s look at a few specifics from Dr. Jill Stein.
Oil, Gas, Coal (Fossil Fuels)
Stein opposes the use of fossil fuels. She’s calling for the end of mountain top removal mining for coal and the end of hydrofracking for natural gas. Her plan outlines phasing out all coal plants, ending subsidies for coal and halting the Keystone XL oil pipeline. While Stein supports the long-term goal of completely ceasing the use of fossil fuel, her near-term plan stops short of calling for an end of use of all oil and natural gas and instead calls for a reduction in oil use.
Nuclear
Stein opposes the use of nuclear energy for safety and economic concerns. She criticized President Obama’s decision to offer loan guarantees to nuclear power plant construction in Georgia, calling the decision his “worst idea yet.” Stein would phase out all nuclear power.
Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency
Stein supports converting to 100% renewable energy generation and strong energy conservation and efficiency programs. The Green Party energy agenda from 2005 goes into greater policy detail: “Examples include tax credits, renewable portfolio standards, research programs, loans and grants. Existing policies that currently benefit nuclear power, combustion technologies or large hydroelectric dams should be eliminated and reallocated to conservation, efficiency, wind and solar power. ”
Electric Vehicles
It’s difficult to determine what Jill Stein would do, specifically, for electric vehicles, but the Green Party generally supports mass transit, walking/biking communities and opposes gasoline use. Non-fossil fuel vehicles are encouraged and promoted by the Green Party.
Climate Change & Carbon Pollution
Stein aims to create a “binding international treaty to reduce atmospheric carbon dioxide to levels deemed safe by scientific analysis to reduce global warming.” She calls climate change “the biggest threat facing the U.S. and the planet” and seeks to spur climate action by enacting the Green New Deal, which is the Green Party’s plan to create green jobs and stimulate the economy through investment in energy efficiency, renewable energy, clean transit, sustainable agriculture, and more.
Summary
Stein opposes fossil fuels and nuclear energy while supporting renewable energy and energy efficiency. While it isn’t surprising that these are the positions of the Green Party’s candidate for president, what is surprising is it was so difficult to find these positions. This blog borrowed information from the Green Party’s 2005 platform, a fair amount from the candidate’s “Issues” page, and a few press releases and blog posts scattered here and there. If you’re interested in Jill Stein, you’ll likely have to do a lot more digging – the candidate’s webpage is probably the best, although not the only, resource available for your research. Below is a map showing states where ballots will contain Jill Stein’s name for the Presidency.
