While former Virginia Governor Tim Kaine’s energy plan isn’t
perfect, his focus on cleaner forms of energy is night-and-day compared to
George Allen’s heavy reliance upon King Coal[1]
and other fossil fuels as the method of choice for powering America. As
evidenced by U.S. Senate candidate Tim Kaine’s visit to GridPoint[2]
in Clarendon on Thursday[3],
energy policy is an area that Kaine recognizes needs attention and
comprehensive, long-term policy.
In a short town hall gathering with employees of GridPoint,
Kaine stated that his “all-of-the-above” energy solution consisted of
investment in innovation and research, energy conservation, exploratory
drilling for natural gas off Virginia’s coastline, nuclear power, and shifting
to cleaner forms of energy.
Contrast Kaine’s forward-thinking stances on energy policy
with those of George Allen and it would seem as though the latter is living in
19th Century America, not the 21st.[4]
Rarely does Allen make it a point to insert clean energy into his energy policy
platform, in no small part because he has ties with some of America’s biggest
fossil fuel companies.[5]
Even if Allen advocated for clean energy, his ties with
energy companies like Alpha Natural Resources should be enough to raise
anyone’s suspicions about his sincerity. But Allen doesn’t even pretend to be
interested in looking for energy solutions that will fuel America for generations
to come.
As with so many other issues, Allen’s policy position on
energy is outdated, short-sighted and plain wrong. America might have an
abundance of natural resources, but what comes after their depletion, and how
long will it take for these resources to be depleted in the first place?
Like any good capitalist knows, markets need innovation to
continue to prosper. And applying this insight to America’s energy market, we
need innovation to keep moving America forward, to keep America prospering.
For politicians like Allen, the point may not be to see a
prosperous America as long as their own pockets, and that of their friends, are
lined while in political office. For Tim Kaine, I genuinely believe he has the
best interests of the country at heart.
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