Introducing the Energy Debate

Wall Street Journal reporter Neil King Jr. introduces the energy debate, which he will moderate over the next few days in our newest forum: Shaping the New Agenda Not since the 1980 race between Jimmy Carter and Ronald Reagan has the U.S. energy challenge been more front and center in a presidential campaign. The soaring cost of oil has driven gasoline to all-time highs, squeezing consumers and reviving fears of the country’s heavy reliance on imported oil. Soaring energy costs have also muted and complicated the growing concerns over global warning. John McCain and Barack Obama have both laid out thick energy plans that overlap in places and sharply differ in others. Both raise the alarm of “foreign oil” and seek to promote new technologies and alternative forms of energy. McCain’s plan puts a heavy emphasis on expanded nuclear power and more offshore drilling, which Obama opposes. The two also differ on the role of government, with Obama proposing to spend a whopping $150 ... (link)