Joe Biden’s Awesome Environmental Record

August 23rd, 2008 · 17 Comments

The news is being widely reported tonight that Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama (D-Illinois) has selected Senator Joe Biden (D-Delaware) to be his running mate in the 2008 presidential election.

Luckily for us, Obama’s found a candidate who’s just as strong on the environment as he is, and Biden isn’t afraid to say it.

Just look at some of the facts about Biden’s environmental record that earned him a lifetime score of 84 from the League of Conservation Voters (Obama’s score was 96; McCain’s, a pitiful 26):

Supports an 80% reduction in carbon emissions by 2050
Supports 40 miles-per-gallon fuel efficiency standards by 2017
Wants the US to use 20% renewable energy by 2020
Opposes offshore drilling or drilling for oil in the Arctic (ANWR)
Take Big Oil’s $2 billion dollar tax breaks to pay for offshore wind farms
Ensured protection of 100% of the coastline in his home state
Wrote a plan to exchange debt-relief for rainforest protection
Believes polluters should pay Superfund fees to clean up their toxic waste
Wants the US to take a stronger stance to end commercial whaling

Best of all, he’s got the voting record to back all of this up. Biden has said his primary concern has been energy independence, but he’s not willing to cut corners to get there. *cough*drilling*cough*

I, for one, am sold.

How do you think Biden will do as a candidate? Would you like to see him as Obama’s VP? Please comment below!

photo by seiu_international

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Tags: politics

17 responses so far ↓

1 Bill // Aug 23, 2008 at 10:54 am

Love this guy,, He will take the republican, people and chew them up and spit them out…I like the idea of MORE wind power .. Next we need MAG LIFT 3 to 4 hundred mph trains coast to coast using electric generated by wind >> High speed transport for free fuel Construction costs only Think about it… Morning thoughts BILL
2 Sharpdressedman // Aug 23, 2008 at 7:48 pm

Just another example of the democrats liking wind… Here’s an idea, why not put all of these democrats in front of a few windmills and they will generate all the electricity we need.

But seriously, if they are so upset about the gas prices now and complain out of one side of their mouths that the republicans’ idea’s for more drilling to lower gas prices are no quick answer, where is their quick answer.

This is just more of the same old fluff. The democrats idea’s are all several years away from coming to fruition at best, and if their ideas dont work, what is the backup plan?

That’s why I like McCain’s plan to “do it all.”
3 ELBSeattle // Aug 23, 2008 at 10:10 pm

Sharpdressedman:

There are no quick answers. Short and simple.

Perhaps you aren’t aware that the current proposals for increasing drilling will amount to about 1¢ difference at the gas pump — in about five years. If ever. The problem isn’t where to get more oil. The problem is how to get off oil. Completely. Entirely. Oil reserves are not only rapidly depleting, extracting, refining and then burning it is an expensive, toxic process.

As far as standing in front of windmills, I can’t think of a party that has done more bullshit-spewing than the Republicans, especially those of this current corrupt administration. They have taken Orwellian doublespeak to new standards of ridiculous. McCain is nothing more than the same: a guy who pretends to stand for the little guy who, in actuality, represents the filthy rich. It’s very simple to follow the money on this one.

An excellent book I’d recommend you read is ‘American Theocracy’ by Kevin Phillips. It puts peak oil into glaring perspective.
4 Aubeard // Aug 24, 2008 at 12:40 am

sharpdressedman:
You may not be so glib when McCain is “doing it all” to you.
5 sciencesays // Aug 24, 2008 at 12:58 am

Thanks for your comments everyone!

Sharpdressedman: Don’t let McCain fool you - offshore oil drilling and its ability to lower gas prices is several years away at best. It takes the better part of a decade to get a rig up and running, and they’re not even sure where the oil is yet.
6 Dr. Seidel // Aug 24, 2008 at 10:33 am

I am very happy to read this.

Let’s fight for new, green energies and not for oil!
Don’t fall into trap of oil lobby! Energy and jobs at home - stop stupid wars!
http://changeforbetterworld.blogspot.com
http://digg.com/2008_us_elections/Change_for_better_world_Wandel_fuer_bessere_Welt
7 Peter S // Aug 24, 2008 at 4:00 pm

Joe Biden is far and away head and shoulders over every other candidate out there. He was my pic to be leader of the democrat party and then president he’s very smart down to earth and if you look up leader they got his picture Obama has made the best choice possible!
8 Ed M // Aug 24, 2008 at 11:36 pm

Wood gas, biomass gas, producer gas….do some research. The technology is real, cheap and proven; with a long history of use. The hydrogen revolution was over 100 years ago. I have no environmental objection to drilling, but more drilling to solve an oil problem is like heroin to solve an opium problem. Biden is a good addition to the ticket…..but I’ll still vote Libertarian.
9 Green Blog » Blog Archive » The League of Conservation Voters Hails Joe Biden // Aug 25, 2008 at 12:25 pm

[...] lists “Biden’s awesome environmental record” saying he is just as strong on the environment as Obama and that Biden “isn’t [...]
10 Adam // Aug 25, 2008 at 8:34 pm

I lived in Delaware (where Joe is Gov.) before moving to Washington D.C. I’ve got to say that when I heard that he was on the short list, I was hoping he would get picked.

Strong on the environment and good foreign relations experience.
11 drtoxic // Aug 25, 2008 at 8:40 pm

What people like “sharpdressedman” fail to realize in their rush to drill everywhere is that the oil companies are holding a combined total of over 8 million square miles of land leases that are available TODAY for drilling. Why aren’t they using what they currently have available? Why do they want more, more, more? So Exxon can make another 150 Billion dollar profit this quarter?
12 WayneSMT // Aug 25, 2008 at 10:51 pm

Yes Sharpdressedman, the democrats ideas to get us out of this are all years away. But I would like to take this moment to point out to you that it was the conservative policies, the unchecked growth, “if ya aint growin, you’re dyin”, philosophy that got us all into this mess in the first place. You are not going to be looking that sharpdressed in your petroleum products that you call clothes for very much l0nger, either you won’t be able to afford to replace them, or you will have lost so much weight that they just won’t look anything other then, well, sad. But have no fear, your economic realities will start to more closely match mine over the next few months and this phase of denial that you are in now will seem like a fleeting memory, if a memory at all, cause you just won’t be able to believe that you, yes you, didn’t see this one coming.

“I would rather be happy then right any day of the week and twice on Sundays, I haven’t been happy since I was 6.”
13 failblogger // Aug 26, 2008 at 8:58 am

at least, with sharpdressedman, you know the reason why failblog exists.

I second the Heroin for opium analogy
14 Injury Lawyer // Aug 27, 2008 at 11:02 pm

I think it is all crazy. Biden has never even had a real job and he doesn’t even think Obama has the necessary experience according to his own words.
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