Associated Press
11-05-07
Clinton Sees Opportunity in Climate Woes
CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa - The battle against global warming means big economic
opportunities as well as challenges for the U.S., Democrat Hillary Rodham
Clinton said Monday, touting her energy proposals as she campaigned in Iowa.
"For this generation, climate change is our space race," said Clinton, speaking in
a cavernous factory with giant wind turbines in the background.
Clinton, who is pursuing the Democratic presidential nomination, is calling for
creation of a $50 billion strategic energy fund, coupled with tougher fuel
efficiency standards financed in part by $20 billion in "green vehicle bonds." It's
part of a package she calls the most comprehensive offered to tackle global
warming.
"The climate crisis is also one of the greatest economic opportunities in the
history of our country," she said. "It will unleash a wave of innovation, create
millions of new jobs, enhance our security and lead the world to a revolution in
how we produce and use energy."
Global warming hits particularly hard at the poor, she said.
"One in four low-income families have already missed a mortgage or rent
payment because of rising energy costs," Clinton said.
She criticized President Bush for inattention to the issue.
"The president has systematically undermined our path to a clean energy future,"
she said.
The strategic energy fund would be roughly a third of a 10-year, $150 billion
investment called for in her energy package.
The program calls for reducing greenhouse gases by 80 percent from 1990
levels by 2050 and cutting imports of foreign oil by two-thirds by 2030. That
import cuts would come through fuel-efficient vehicles, reduced electricity
consumption and increased production of alternative fuels, she said.
"It's the biggest challenge we've faced in a generation, a challenge to our
economy, our health and our planet," said Clinton. "It's time for America to meet
it. It is time to get back into the solutions business."
She estimated her plan would create 5 million new jobs over the next decade,
many in rural sections of the country.
Clinton appeared at a factory that produces parts for wind turbines to spell out
her proposal, which she said is a centerpiece of her effort to bolster the economy
of rural sections of the nation by focusing on developing alternative energy
sources.
In earlier speeches leading up to her talk, she has said she would pay for the
plan by ending tax subsidies for oil companies, subsidies she argues aren't
needed with oil at more than $90 a barrel.
Later in the day, Clinton touted her plan an Oelwein middle school before about
400 people, mostly students.
As she spoke, Clinton coughed, cleared her throat and regularly sipped water.
She conceded her voice was paying the price of 10 months of nonstop
campaigning.
"I hope my voice doesn't fade in and out for you," she said.
Several of Clinton's rivals planned to participate Monday night in an Iowa State
University Biobased Industry Outlook Conference. Democrats Chris Dodd,
Joe Biden and Dennis Kucinich and Republican John McCain discussed
alternatives to oil, though not as a group. Clinton and John Edwards did not
attend.
McCain said the preponderance of scientific evidence is that global warming is a
real threat despite what some critics in his own party maintain.
He held out that stance as an example of his promise to talk straight with voters.
"Americans have lost trust in their government and I promise to win it back, so
help me God."
Associated Press writer Ron Fournier in Ames, Iowa, contributed to this report.
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