The Presidential Candidate With a Plan to Run the US on 100% Clean Energy

[FSogol]

That leaves Martin O'Malley, the former mayor of Baltimore and two-term governor of Maryland, who's trailing all of the above in the polls. In the wake of the pope's headline-grabbing encyclical on the environment, which champions the moral need to fight global warming and calls for a swift transition from fossil fuels to clean energy, the presidential contender published an op-ed in USA Today outlining an extremely ambitious plan to do precisely that.

"I believe, within 35 years, our country can, and should, be 100% powered by clean energy, supported by millions of new jobs," O'Malley writes. "To reach this goal we must accelerate that transition starting now."

"As president, on day one, I would use my executive power to declare the transition to a clean energy future the number one priority of our Federal Government."

Whole article here:

http://motherboard.vice.com/read/martin-omalley-clean-energy-candidate

The specifics of O'Malley's plan:

-Create a national Renewable Energy Standard that would mandate 100 percent clean energy by 2050
-Launch a seemingly New Deal-styled Clean Energy Job Corps that would retrofit buildings for efficiency and build green spaces
-Have the EPA enforce a "zero tolerance" methane leak policy (currently, natural gas production releases a staggering amount of the super-greenhouse gas into the atmosphere)
-Call on Congress to enact a carbon cap that would charge companies for their carbon pollution, and return the revenue to lower and middle class families
-Deny the Keystone XL and halt offshore oil drilling in Alaska

x-posted from the O'Malley Group

[pogglethrope]

1. There's no chance at all I'll be alive in 2050.

Last edited Wed Jun 24, 2015, 11:00 AM - Edit history (1)

So I'd like to see a more aggressive approach taken, say a target of 15 to 20 years. That way I might at least see some significant progress before croaking.

As for zero tolerance for methane leaks -- until we get to 100% clean energy, the methane could be captured and used for fuel. If I can turn up something I wrote about 15 years ago on energy, I'll add it in a reply to this post. I wrote in response to a boneheaded mailing I received from my representative -- some hogwash about a non-existent energy crisis at the time.

I particularly like the third item in O'Malley's plan: "Call on Congress to enact a carbon cap that would charge companies for their carbon pollution, and return the revenue to lower and middle class families."

To me that won't be enough or fast enough to alleviate the income and wealth inequalities that are hurting middle and lower income families. I have a proposal that would deal with the issue more directly and faster. When I've tweaked something I've written, I'll post it for discussion. It won't be the be-all-and-end-all as a solution, but it might stimulate some creative thinking.

[FSogol]

3. Did you ever notice how long it takes to improve gas mileage standards?

The beauty of O'Malley's plan is that it is both ambitious, yet doable. No other candidate (ever) has laid out such a plan.

As for 2050, Ponder this: On her 98th birthday, my grandmother planned 3 apples trees in the back yard of her house to replace one that had been struck by lightening and one that had died. She would never see the apples from those trees. Wonder why she did that?

[northoftheborder]

2. Agree totally. I'm taking another look at O'Malley.

I'd like to see SOME progress during my lifetime. I'm interested in hearing your suggestions.