NEWS
4 Presidential Hopefuls Agree on Climate Policy
05/22/2007
By Bret SchulteU.S. News & World Report
At the Brookings Institution this morning, a panel of policy advisers to four leading presidential contenders engaged in what one jokingly called "violent agreement" on issues of climate change.
Advisers to John Edwards and Sens. John McCain, Hillary Clinton, and Barack Obama formed a single chorus on the need to enhance energy efficiency, introduce a cap-and-trade system for greenhouse gases, and incentivize clean energy technology. All four also rejected an idea supported by Sen. Chris Dodd, who was not represented this morning: a carbon tax. Widely thought to be politically unfeasible, a simple tax on emissions would be the most equitable and least burdensome regulation to cut greenhouse gas emissions, economists say.
"A tax won't work," said John Raidt, adviser to McCain. "It will just raise money for bureaucrats. There's notelling where that money would go."
James Kvaal, adviser to Edwards, said, "A cap-and-trade system sets a goal [for emissions] and provides that certainty. It's also consistent with the rest of the world. It shows our commitments are the same as theirs."
Todd Stern, speaking on behalf of Clinton, also said that a cap-and-trade system was the best way to ensure that greenhouse gas emissions were reduced.
Denis McDonough, representing Obama, cited the success of the acid raincap-and-trade program.
Among the few disagreements was over whether the United States should base its trade practices, in part, on the environmental policies of potential partners. Some climate change advocates have argued that the United States should demand action from China and India to fight global warming as part of pending trade deals.
McCain's adviser said the two should remain separate. "Free trade is an important thing. It's always difficult when you complicate it with other issues," Raidt said.
Edwards and Obama are open to the idea, their advisers said. Edwards "has said trade deals should have environmental standards," Kvaal said. McDonough said Obama "would see trade agreements and environmental standards as useful."