senator vows to restore environmental values to the GOP

Sen. John McCain wants to resurrect the Republican Party’s commitment to land conservation and environmental protection—priorities that the general public has not associated with the GOP for several decades. During the Arizona Republican’s recent forum on energy security and global warming at the Seacoast Media Building in Portsmouth, McCain stressed his admiration for former President Theodore Roosevelt, who, despite his fondness for hunting, was a “great conservationist,” McCain said.

A member of the U.S. Senate since 1987, McCain expressed a deep appreciation for Arizona’s wild places. Last August, he hiked the Grand Canyon from rim to rim with his son. Although he admitted that the journey nearly killed him, he continues to cherish the experience.

“I’ve never had a greater experience than to stand on the rim of the Grand Canyon at the El Tovar lodge as the sun comes up and look at the condor nests,” he said. “Up close they are very ugly birds, but from a distance they’re very attractive,” he joked.

It was largely McCain’s love for nature that led him to pass legislation limiting overhead flights that created noise pollution at the Grand Canyon, and, more recently, to join Sen. Joe Lieberman in proposing legislation to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Now, as he makes his second bid for the Republican nomination for president, McCain says he’s the candidate most serious about addressing climate change.

“I’ll match my environmental record against any candidate who stands before you, Republican or Democrat,” he said.

McCain was the sixth presidential candidate to appear at Seacoast Media for a public forum this primary season, but he was the first Republican. Much of the discussion during the forum revolved around McCain’s avid support for nuclear power, which he called the cleanest and most effective existing source of energy.

“I feel very strongly that nuclear power is the cleanest source of energy we have. It’s the cleanest. It emits no greenhouse gas emissions,” McCain said. “I also, though, admit that we have a challenge, and that is, what do we do with the waste?”

McCain pointed to France, where 80 percent of the nation’s electricity is produced through nuclear power, and the waste is reprocessed. Other European countries are also forging ahead with nuclear energy programs, he said, and they are figuring out ways to store the waste. McCain admitted that he does not have an immediate solution to dealing with nuclear waste in the United States, but he believes the country can develop technology to solve the problem.

“It seems to me that a nation that can put someone on the moon ought to be able to figure out how to eliminate the nuclear waste program one way or another,” he said.

Portsmouth resident Doug Bogen challenged McCain’s assertion that nuclear power is the cleanest energy source available, noting that the process of enriching uranium requires massive quantities of electricity, which is produced, primarily, by burning coal. Bogen also pointed out that nuclear plants are extremely expensive to build and take years to construct. And, while there is a finite supply of uranium on the planet, clean alternatives like wind, solar and hydropower are renewable energy sources.

But, according to McCain, the technology available in the fields of wind, solar and tidal power is only capable of making a small dent in global warming trends. While he supports some investment in renewable energy sources, he does not believe they can stop global warming on their own. McCain added that, eventually, nuclear power could be used to generate the electricity needed to enrich uranium and produce more nuclear power. He also said he would fund research into developing technology for cleaner burning coal.

“We’re sitting on vast reserves of coal in the United States of America. Vast reserves,” he said. “If we could develop clean coal technology, then that would be a huge breakthrough.”

McCain said he is against instituting a carbon tax but supports a cap and trade system, wherein businesses that reduce their greenhouse gas emissions are given credits, which they can sell to other emitters, with a gradual overall reduction in global warming emissions. A similar system worked in combating acid rain, McCain said.

If elected, the senator promised to include in his administration experts who would be able to tackle environmental issues, regardless of their party affiliations. Although he credited President Bush with taking more action on climate change in recent months, he believes special interest groups have too much influence in Washington.

“I will speak very frankly with you: The history will not judge the Bush administration kindly on the issue of climate change,” he said. “Now I’m glad that the president’s more engaged in this issue.”

Noting that leaders in nations like Russia, Venezuela and Iran appear to be consolidating their powers around their oil supplies, McCain acknowledged that dependency on foreign oil creates significant national security issues. He also noted that climate change could create “humanitarian disasters of monumental proportions” in densely populated third world countries, which will require the United States to be prepared to provide humanitarian aid, likely involving the military.

Seacoast Media executive editor Howard Altschiller said McCain would likely be the last candidate to hold a public forum at the Seacoast Media building before the rapidly approaching New Hampshire primary date. The senator took advantage of the opportunity to stress his commitment to addressing climate change.

“I think that we have this obligation, and I think it’s a serious obligation,” he said. “I think it’s one of the highest priorities that anybody can have.”

Asked to draw definitive distinctions between himself and the other candidates for president, McCain made a solemn promise to the audience in Portsmouth. He called extreme Islamic radicals the gravest danger facing the country. Noting that he is a veteran who started his military service at the age of 17, McCain said he is prepared to protect the nation from terrorists.

“I will make America safe,” he said.