Key energy and environmental proposals of Kerry and Bush
President George W. Bush and Democratic presidential hopeful John Kerry have sharply different views of U.S. energy policy.
JOHN KERRY
* Impose stricter mileage requirements on cars and sport utility vehicles
from the current 24 miles per gallon to 36 mpg to cut U.S. oil consumption by 2
million barrels of oil a day.
* Encourage U.S. utilities to generate 20 percent of their electricity from
renewable sources like wind and solar by 2020.
* Invest in hydrogen-powered cars with potential to get 100 miles per gallon
mileage without producing air-polluting emissions.
* Boost energy efficiency of government buildings by 20 percent to save $8
billion by 2020.
* Import more natural gas from Mexico and Canada and build a giant pipeline
to bring Alaska supplies to the Lower 48. Incentives for more drilling in Gulf
of Mexico and build pipelines to get gas out of eastern front of Rocky
Mountains.
* Develop new technology that allows liquefied natural gas tankers to
off-load their supplies offshore and avoid building costly on-shore facilities
that have sparked safety concerns.
* Invest $5 billion over 10 years to create new coal-burning power plants
that emit less smog, soot, and other harmful substances.
GEORGE W. BUSH
* Open 19 million-acre (7.7 million-hectare) Arctic National Wildlife Refuge
in Alaska to limited oil and natural gas drilling.
* Support research into hydrogen-powered cars.
* Build FutureGen, world's first zero-emissions coal-powered electric plant
that would also produce hydrogen fuel.
* Create incentives to build new nuclear power plants.
* Cut down on electricity grid bottlenecks, boost reliability of grid network
to avoid blackouts.
* Build natural gas pipeline from Alaska to Lower 48.
* Renew 1.7 cent per kilowatt-hour tax credit for electricity produced from
wind and biomass.
* Review status of vast acres of Western federal lands for allowing oil and
gas drilling.