McCain's Plan to End Oil Addiction

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On April 19, 1775 shots rang out from a small hamlet by the name of Lexington in the colony of Massachusetts. The gunfire marked the very first battle in America’s war for independence against its colonial oppressor, the British Empire. So perhaps it is fitting that presumptive Republican nominee John McCain has dubbed America’s next great battle for independence - one for emancipation from dangers of foreign oil and the hostile governments that control its price - the "Lexington Project"

"In recent days I have set before the American people an energy plan … In a world of hostile and unstable suppliers of oil, this nation will achieve strategic independence by 2025," McCain said during a June 25 speech.

To achieve this goal McCain plans to call on the technical prowess of American industry and science to develop the next generation of dependable and domestic energy sources.

One of his key proposals to aid in reaching energy independence centers on the controversial issue of expanding domestic oil exploration. While Congressional Democrats and environmental groups are staunchly opposed to lifting the federal moratorium on drilling in the Outer Continental Shelf, Sen. McCain has said that it "would be very helpful in the short term in resolving our energy crisis.” However, that seems to be at odds with a 2007 Energy and Information Administration report that concluded that offshore drilling would have little to no impact on the supply or price of oil until 2030, which can hardly be considered a short term solution. Additionally, Sen. McCain has stated that offshore drilling would have a "psychological impact that I think is beneficial." Unfortunately, a psychological impact is not enough. America needs real and tangible results to ease the burden of middle-class families struggling to get by.

Eliminating America’s dependency on foreign oil should be one of the new administration’s top priorities regardless of who takes the oath of office on January 20, 2009. Past failures to curb foreign imports of oil are coming back to haunt us in the form of record-high gas prices that are undermining American’s hard work. With just four percent of the world’s population, the U.S. consumes an astounding 25 percent of the world’s oil.

McCain has also proposed what he calls the “Clean Car Challenge.” The highlight of this plan is a $300 million prize to the inventor of a battery package that has the size, capacity and cost to leapfrog commercially available plug-in hybrids or electric cars. In addition, McCain would encourage - not mandate - that at least 50 percent of all new vehicles be Flex-Fuel Vehicles by 2012.

That money could probably be better spent on the U.S. trade deficit, which currently stands at roughly $800 billion, 41 percent of which is due exclusively to oil imports. Just this year alone, we will send $700 billion out of the country for oil imports - four times the annual cost of the Iraq war. Over the next 10 years that number will likely increase to roughly $10 trillion per year - making it the largest transfer of wealth in human history.

Another key aspect of Sen. McCain’s energy plan is an increased reliance on nuclear energy which currently makes up just 20 percent of U.S. power. His plan calls for at least 45 new nuclear power plants to be built by 2030, with the ultimate goal of constructing 100 new nuclear plants. The nation currently has a total of 104 active nuclear power plants, the last one was built 24 years ago. McCain has hailed the use of nuclear power plants, telling the New York Times recently that they are "safe, efficient, inexpensive and obviously a vital ingredient in the future of the economy of our nation and in our mission to eliminate over time our dependence on foreign oil."

The 45 nuclear plants would provide something that America has been sorely missing recently: good-paying manufacturing jobs. According to the campaign Web site, the opening of 45 new plants would create roughly 700,000 new jobs in construction, engineering, operation and management of the plants. However, many experts believe that number is considerably inflated. Opponents of nuclear power have raised their concerns as well, citing security of nuclear fuel and waste, waste storage and proliferation.

In addition, McCain plans to invest $2 billion annually to advance clean coal technologies. The U.S. has the largest share of reserves in the world, over 27 percent of all the world’s recoverable coal is located in the U.S. The campaigns Web site claims that this would revitalize some of America’s most economically disadvantaged areas, and that the “demonstration projects alone will employ over 30,000 Americans.”

America’s addiction to oil has swelled our balance of trade deficit to epic proportions. It has fattened the sovereign wealth funds of nations that are hostile to American interests like Iran and Venezuela. This has left our nation vulnerable to the political games those nations play. It is imperative that America invests in an energy solution at home to free ourselves from this dangerous addiction.

At least rhetorically, John McCain sounds prepared to do just that. "We have got to achieve energy independence, oil independence in this nation. I will make it a Manhattan Project, and we will in five years become oil independent," McCain said in a December 2007 GOP debate, a statement he has recently backtracked from since the unveiling of the “Lexington Project.“

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