Mitt Romney on Environment

Romney supports a market approach to solving our environmental problems. He says Republicans shouldn’t abandon pro-growth conservative principles in an effort to embrace the ideas of Al Gore. Instead of sweeping mandates, Romney says we must use America's power of innovation to develop alternative sources of energy and new technologies that use energy more efficiently.


Energy Independence

Romney wants to develop new alternative energy as well as drill in ANWR. To remain the economic and military superpower, Romney believes America must address achieving energy independence and become independent from foreign sources of oil. To do this will require a combination of efforts related to conservation and efficiency measures, developing alternative sources of energy like biodiesel, ethanol, nuclear, and coal gasification, and finding more domestic sources of oil such as in ANWR or the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS).

Research and Innovation

Romney supports fostering innovation and new technologies through funding for research. Governor Romney's administration will review how government invests our research dollars. H believes that the United States must invest more research dollars in power generation, fuel technology and materials science. Romney contends that it is in new technologies that we will find solutions to our environmental and energy needs.

For Example, Romney argues, new clean coal technologies are emerging, and some are already here. Fluidized-bed combustion and Integrated gasification combined cycle are two exciting and promising technologies. American Electric Power has announced plans for IGCC projects in West Virginia. Next, we can expect hybrid concepts such as combining combustion and gasification for even cleaner and more efficient power generation.

Environmental Flip-Flop?

Romney has received criticism recently for flip-flopping on the environment, bowing to big business at the expense of clean air for New England.

For years several Northeastern states were creating one of the most ambitious U.S. effort yet to fight global warming, the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative. The pact, commonly called RGGI ("Reggie"), commits seven Northeastern states -- Connecticut, Delaware, Maine, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York and Vermont -- to reducing their carbon dioxide emissions 10 percent by 2019.

Massachusetts was supposed to be among them. However, in December 2005 Romney abruptly pulled his state out -- despite the fact that several staffers in his administration had spent two and a half years and more than half a million dollars negotiating and shaping the deal. Rhode Island Gov. Donald Carcieri, also a Republican and an ally of Romney's, quickly followed suit.

Kyoto

Romney does not support Kyoto, believing it would kill jobs.