McCain vs. Obama - The Issues: Energy Policy

Obama aims to reduce oil consumption by at least 35 percent by 2030; among his ideas to curb demand is to increase the fleet average for cars and trucks to 49 miles per gallon in 18 years and increase it by 4 percent each year thereafter. McCain doesn't set specific goals for consumption or auto standards.

Also, Obama proposes taxing the record profits of oil companies like Exxon-Mobil so as to invest in alternative energy research and infrastructure projects. This would not only pave the way for American energy independence, but would result in 5,000,000 new American jobs, and a $1000 tax rebate per American family. Considering that so many of our foreign policy problems have roots in the world’s limited supply of oil, these benefits should profoundly affect not only the growing climate change problem, but the economic hardships of average Americans, and allow for a profoundly new direction in our foreign policy. In the past 3 months, Exxon-Mobil alone has made record profits of 11.39 billion dollars. John McCain opposes taxing oil companies like Exxon.