speech

Bill Richardson announced his official energy proposal in a speech to the New America Foundation today. He already had a fairly fleshed out energy plan, but this was the official rollout and he did make a few tweaks. Here are the highlights, directly from the just updated Choices for Working Californians Bill Richardson on Environment page.

Governor Richardson wants to cut oil demand by 50% by 2020 and change to 50% renewable sources for electricity by 2040. He wants to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to 80% by 2040. He also believes it is crucial to lead by example and restore America as the world's leader on the environment. Richardson contends that we can do all of this without breaking the bank.

Previously, Richardson was calling for a 75% greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 now it is 80% by 2040. This is a significant and aggressive move, something Richardson notes is "10 years faster than what scientists say is necessary". A more minor change sees his call for CAFE standards to be raised to 50mpg by 2020, instead of in "10 years".

He is already getting high remarks in the larger blogosphere for his emphasis on transportation in his speech. Unfortunately, it is nowhere in his policy statement, but it is one place where he is definitely separating himself from the competition. Any talk about reducing oil dependency and greenhouse gases should go hand in hand with a discussion on public transportation and smart growth strategies.