I’m on the subway home from work, reading my NY Post, and what should I see but a full page ad for tonight’s CNN debate. The tag-line of the ad, “They’ve Warmed Up. Tonight, the Gloves Come Off.”

And then, way at the bottom, CNN has the sponsors of the debate. The first sponsor is for some sort of clean coal group. The second sponsor was Hyundai. Yes, tonight’s pandering to the unions, protectionism and keeping jobs in America is being brought to you by a company that is doing everything the candidates on the stage are against.

UPDATE: While watching the debate, I see that the coal sponsor is an organization called AmericasPower.org. They give Hillary a B- for her energy policy:

Did everyone have a chance to read Senator Clinton’s energy plan yet? I did. Here’s why I’m giving her a B- (we all know she’s an educational overachiever, so I’m guessing that she’ll be bothered that she didn’t get an A!).
The good
First, she gets the fact that “technology” is the solution to the challenge. In most cases, “she’s putting her money where her mouth is” instead of just telling people that “this will be an easy fix.”
Second… Hillary is talking about an important near-term way we can address concerns about climate change—storing the greenhouse gases or what’s called “sequestration.” She proposes funding ten large geological carbon storage sites—and she favors incenting farmers and ranchers to use proven methods to store carbon in soil and in plants.
Third, Hillary recognizes that new power plants using coal can’t be expected to put on carbon capture and storage technologies on that don’t yet exist. That’s why it is crucial that the federal government join with the private sector in funding the research, development, and deployment of these new technologies — and soon.
Hillary is getting a break on the grading curve. At this point, her competitors in the presidential campaign are getting an incomplete (come on guys, you have to submit your paper to get a grade). She is the only one, so far, who has provided real details. This is a big deal issue that will have a greater effect on the domestic economy (and therefore American families) than any other set of regulations considered for quite a long time. So it is reasonable (that’s an understatement) that folks running for president need to have some details on how they see the issue playing out.
The “could do better” part
There’s the old political “double speak” about how we will meet America’s growing energy needs. Senator Clinton places a lot a confidence in energy efficiency; and, like her, we also embrace using energy more wisely. However, regardless of how energy efficient you make a television … it doesn’t get you around the fact that we’re all plugging in four or five televisions, when several years back it was one or two televisions per house. I use televisions just as an example to say we are becoming more energy efficient … but at the same time, we’re using more energy. So, new coal-based power plants will be needed. These power plants will meet increased energy demand as well as replacing older, less efficient power plants.
Also, I’m concern that there is not enough in her plan to protect families from higher energy costs. I’m particularly concerned about her plan for 100% auction of the emissions credits for GHG regulations. Experience from the successful acid rain program show that assigning credits based upon emissions sources helps to lower the compliance costs for utilities and those savings ultimately passed along consumers.
With oil prices at a record level (and 10% of American households already paying 50% of their income to cover energy-related expenditures), having a “safety valve” in any plan to regulate CO2 is essential to protect families and the economy from substantially higher energy costs.
As first drafts go, this one shows promise. Let’s hope that Senator Clinton can add some provisions to look out for working families so I can give her that “A” I know she’s striving for.
That’s important because climate change is such an key issue — America can’t afford to support a B- platform. The American public deserves (and, in fact) will require that whatever policy gets enacted on this set of issues be an A plan.
(Note: Next, I want to share with you some ideas on how I see Senator Clinton’s plan in relation to energy/national security and her plans for outreach to the international community on this issue.)