Email from REP President Martha Marks to all REP members, sent June 19, 2008:
On Tuesday in Houston, Senator John McCain gave the first of several planned speeches related to energy policy.
You’ll find the text of his speech linked from REP’s home page (PDF download).
Some REP members have expressed concern about one aspect of this speech: the proposal to lift a federal moratorium on offshore drilling and allow coastal states to choose whether to allow drilling off their coasts. I understand that concern. It is important, however, to put Senator McCain’s proposal into broader policy and political contexts, which often are lost in superficial media reporting that emphasizes conflicts and clever sound bites.
From a policy standpoint, McCain’s proposal is part of a broader framework that has, as its centerpiece, a cap-and-trade plan to reduce greenhouse gas emissions linked to climate change, which is the most serious environmental problem that our country faces.
In his speech, McCain:
- Reiterated the need to address climate change.
- Called for more conservation and a full-throttle shift towards cleaner energy choices that will end our dangerous dependence on oil.
- Repeated his opposition to oil drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge and other special places that he says must not be disturbed.
These are all outstanding positions that we and the rest of the environmental community should celebrate in a Republican presidential nominee, regardless of our opinion on the offshore moratorium proposal, which may actually be more symbolic than anything else.
Why do I say that it may be mostly symbolic? Douglas Holtz-Eakin, McCain’s top policy advisor, has characterized the proposal as an effort to signal to world oil markets that we are serious about becoming less reliant on OPEC. It is also worth pointing out that, while a few states may decide to permit exploration or drilling off their shores, most—including California and Florida—almost certainly won’t. Their citizens simply wouldn’t stand for it. Moreover, a worldwide shortage of costly deepwater drilling rigs is a significant barrier to rapid expansion of offshore drilling.
There’s an important political context for this proposal, too.
As a “maverick” whose environmental positions are known to anger party leaders and opinion shapers (Limbaugh and others)—and as a candidate fighting an underdog campaign against a charismatic opponent with unlimited cash resources—McCain must walk a fine line and draw support from a coalition of diverse constituencies. He can’t swing too far in one policy direction or another without doing his campaign great harm.
Delicately balanced policy proposals that can appeal to these diverse constituencies are the only way for McCain to build a winning coalition.
It is unlikely that those of us who are passionate about environmental protection will ever find ourselves in 100 percent agreement with any presidential candidate. Democratic partisans within the environmental community were not happy with Senators Obama and Clinton for their pre-primary pandering to the coal industry in West Virginia and Kentucky, but that did not shake their faith in the candidates.
I can assure you that we are in close communication with the McCain campaign, providing policy-oriented advice and advocating for strong environmental positions. We know that our views are valued and that we are having—and will continue to have—a positive impact. As you know, this is a dramatic and refreshing change from our experience with the current administration.
Our work, however, has only begun. Thanks to REP members’ active engagement and ongoing support, we are making a difference. We will keep doing what we’re doing, fighting the good fight for a greener GOP.
If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact me or other members of the REP staff.
Sincerely,
Martha Marks
President
