A lack of leadership in developing an intelligent and responsible energy policy has left America with a dependence on foreign oil that threatens our independence, our economy, our security. Then, an unwillingness to develop a responsible plan for the environment has left us in the even worse predicament of destroying our own environment.

Climate

“The science at last is clear. The physical consequences of global warming are obvious in shrinking polar ice caps, retreating glaciers, stronger storms, and changing rainfall patterns. We can expect rising sea levels, spreading diseases, and unpredictable, abrupt climate shifts. Even the richest nations will face huge costs in coping with this challenge. The poorest nations will be affected worse and will have the fewest resources with which to respond. This is a recipe for global resource wars, and great resentment of our wealth by those less fortunate — a new world disorder. We must act.” - Joe BidenThere is at last a scientific consensus that our climate is warming and human activity is driving it. Global warming has not only serious consequences for our environment, but poses a serious national security threat as well. We not only need to act at home to curb greenhouse gas emissions, but we also need to work towards a global solution.

We need to do two things: (1) get our own omissions under control by capping them and (2) regional and the rest of the world in finding a global solution to this problem. The United States is the biggest polluter — and we have an obligation to lead — but climate change is a global problem that requires a global solution. That fuel vehicle production why I have been calling — and will continue to call on — this administration to return to international negotiations. We need a new climate change treaty. Other big polluters like China must be subject to similar restrictions. Doing so will protect the planet and jobs here in the United States.

Energy

“There is no question that our oil dependence is threatening our national security. It helps fuel the fundamentalism we’re fighting and it limits our options and our influence around the world. Rich countries pursuing policies we oppose can stand up to us, while oil dependent allies may be afraid to stand with us. If we don’t change our policy, oil further in power the countries that produce, restrict our options, and undermine our economic and physical security. Where we could have the most impact will be in limiting our demand for oil, as our economy grows. We know where to start: expand alternative fuels and improve vehicle efficiency. We can do this. We can absolutely do this.” - Joe BidenReducing use of fossil fuel and increasing our energy efficiency will also help reduce the greenhouse gas emissions that are causing global warming but in order to really slow climate change our goal should be to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 80% by the middle of this century.

There are a number of options and challenges with which to confront this issue:

Increase fuel economy:

Instead of focusing on the fleetwide average, Joe Biden would advance fuel economy by an approach that combines protection of the US automobile manufacturing jobs, but predictable increases in fuel efficiency standards. Biden’s system would set economy standards based on each vehicle, its size and weight, improving fuel economy targets by 4% per year, approximately 1 mile per gallon each year, and reaching a 40 mile per gallon average by 2017. Such an achievement would say approximately the amount of oil we import presently from Saudi Arabia each year.

Super efficient technologies:

There are now superefficient plug-in hybrids which can get 100 miles to the gallon, powered by lithium ion batteries. These hybrids are dominated by foreign competitors from Japan, Korea and China. These countries have invested hundreds of millions of dollars in developing and supporting the new technologies. Joe Biden believes that America needs to make an equal investment in new technology. He has proposed legislation that would double our investment in the development of batteries needed for hybrid electric vehicles.

Selects fuel vehicles:

Joe Biden would require old car is marketed in the USA to be capable of running on flex fuels by 2017. Biden, together with Senators Lugar and Harken, has proposed legislation which directs automakers to gradually increase their flex fuel vehicle production.

Gas stations:

Only a handful of gas stations presently or for alternative fuel to customers. Major oil companies, who own more than 4500 stations each should offer alternative refueling capability at 50% of their stations by 2016. Biden’s legislation would require large oil companies to install these pumps at their stations, increasing by 5% each year over the next 10 years.

Farm grown fuel:

We should increase the amount of ethanol and diesel included in the nation’s fuel supply by extending an increasing the current renewable standard, and setting standards for VAIO diesel.

Environment

New technology:

Biden supports creative incentives for research, providing $5 billion for research into alternative fuel and energy sources, renewable energy and carbon capture and sequestration technologies that will allow us to use coal cleanly.

Renewable energy:

Biden would set a national renewable standard that would require at least 20% of our country’s electricity to come from clean renewable sources, like wind, solar, biomass and Geo thermal. Today, just 2.3% of our power comes from these sources.

Energy efficiency:

There are so many approaches to improving energy efficiency. Joe Biden has introduced legislation to provide funding for states to administer programs to educate consumers on efficient technology and to distribute highly efficient light bulbs, which use a quarter of the energy of regular bulbs. We should expand the energy Star program, that maintains standards, for more appliances and commercial systems. We should support Green building codes, local updates to building codes which capture cost - effective energy efficiency opportunities. We should create incentives for “going green” in commercial buildings and manufacturing sectors. Even our own government could be more energy-efficient. Joe Biden would require the federal government to purchase 10% renewable electricity by 2010. Joe Biden would increase federal building energy efficiency by requiring a 30% reduction in energy use over the next 10 years.Becoming more efficient can save taxpayers the enormous sums of money - almost $4 billion a year, and reduce carbon dioxide emissions as well.

Restoring US leadership:

We still have a chance to restore US leadership in climate change. But how can we lead when we ourselves can not act responsibly. Under Joe Biden, US negotiators would return immediately to global climate change negotiations and seek binding commitments from all major nations, including emerging nations such as China and India, to read news greenhouse gas emissions. We could use our American leverage to bring big developing countries like China and India into a global climate change treaty.With Joe Biden’s leadership, the US can reduce greenhouse gas emissions to 80% below 1990 levels by imposing a ‘cap and trade’ system. We can require that at least 20% of the country’s electricity comes from renewable sources like Sun, wind, solar, biomass and geothermal. Today, only 2.3% of our power comes from such sources. We can raise fuel economy standards so that America reaches a 40 mpg average by 2017, as opposed to our current average of 27.5 mpg.

We can cut greenhouse gas emissions by more than 100,000,000 tons a year. And we knew our goal of increasing fuel economy for individual vehicle models by 4% per year. And we can reduce power plant emissions of laws such as the Clean Power Act that requires power plants to achieve specific read the options in the missions of sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxide and mercury.

Let us be environmentally pro active and let us be proud of our sense of responsibility. Joe Biden wants to increase the number of vehicles that use ethanol and alternative fuels and has written legislation directing automobile makers to gradually increase the number of flex fuel vehicles. Joe Biden has sought to permanently protect the Arctic National Refuge in Alaska from great harm to this beautiful environment.

Joe Biden believes that we need to reinstate ‘polluter pays Superfund CDs’, so the polluters pay for the cleanup of toxic sites. Reinstating the ‘polluter pay programs’ will enable us to expand our cleanup operations.

Recognizing the global nature of climate change, Joe Biden wrote a plan that provides debt relief for developing nations in exchange for perfecting their tropical rain forest that are critical to global climate. In Joe Biden as opposed and will continue to fight attempts to roll back environmental safeguards that threaten the quality of our air and water. If what this administration’s plan to gut the standards by permitting powerplants to avoid their obligations to install modern pollution controls, and also supports limiting exports of mercury to stop the harmful pollution of our oceans.