John McCain likes to tout his "maverick" credentials, including his supposed "pro-environment" stances (despite the fact that McCain got ZERO ratings from the League of Conservation Voters and Environment America in 2007). Among these stances, at least in the past, was opposition to opening up environmentally sensitive areas like the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to oil drilling. But now, we can kiss that one goodbye as well if McCain's elected:
The Republican presidential candidate will make his running mate the public face of the country's drive for energy independence, according to a McCain campaign official.[...]
The move would give Mr McCain political cover to resume widespread domestic drilling for oil, even in areas of environmental fragility.
Mrs Palin backs drilling in Alaska's Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR), which Mr McCain has previously opposed. Should he decide to reverse that position he will use Mrs Palin to make the case that it is necessary.
Well, ain't that just wonderful? Not only that, but "the prospective vice president will also be charged with overseeing a dramatic increase in federal support for the development of clean coal." Uh, guys, I hate to break it to you, but "clean coal" is an oxymoron, emphasis on "moron." From environmentally devastating mountaintop removal to the pollution involved in transporting the coal to burning it in power plants (even with scrubbers, these plants emit huge quantities of CO2, a potent greenhouse gas), coal is anything but "clean," no matter how much money the coal lobby spends to try and persuade people that it is.
More broadly, what exactly is Sarah Palin's "expertise in the oil and gas sector?" I mean, she's been governor of Alaska for 20 months, during which time she's seen oil revenues flow in like a tsunami, given $100+ per barrel prices. Again, though, what's her "expertise" on energy matters anyway? Is she a petroleum geologist? Engineer? Economist? Long-time energy markets analyst? Does she know anything about energy efficiency? Renewable power? Electric grids? Power plants? What? Please, McCain campaign, enlighten us with regards to Sarah Palin's supposed "expertise" in this area? I mean, I worked for 17 years at the US Energy Information Administration, and I met hundreds of people - both in and out of government - with tremendous expertise in their particular niche of the energy world. Frankly, I never heard your name mentioned during all that time, never heard of you speaking at a conference put on by CERA, PIRA, or any other energy consulting firm. I also never saw any articles by you in the energy trade press. Maybe you were too busy as governor, or mayor of Wasilla building that hockey rink, to focus on energy issues. OK, fine, but then how did you become an energy expert in the past 20 months?
So, Governor Palin, since you've got so much "energy expertise," please explain to us how the marginal cost of producing a barrel of oil in Saudi Arabia relates to the price of a barrel traded at Cushing or perhaps to Brent crude. Please explain "netback pricing." Please give us an economic analysis of the current world oil market, using supply and demand curves, price and demand elasticities of supply and demand, etc. Please tell us about the difference in world crude qualities - gravity, sulphur content, etc. - between, let's say, Venezuelan Orinoco belt crude and Saudi Medium. Please explain to us the relative cost-benefit calculations on drilling for a new barrel of oil versus conserving one. And please tell us how energy use and carbon emissions trends have changed over the past few decades in various countries around the world.
What, you can't? You mean, you're just as much an "energy expert" as you are a "reformer," or someone who opposed the "bridge to nowhere," or someone who didn't abuse her power as governor of Alaska? OK, I got it. Thanks for the clarification, "energy expert"/Governor Palin!