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PrintOctober 13, 2008
Palin's real accomplishments in energy policy
While the elitists mock Republican vice presidential candidate Governor Sarah Palin of Alaska as a frozen moose hunter who thinks conducting foreign relations means she can see Russia from her house, they are merely betraying their own ignorance.
However, even her own state's main newspaper, the Anchorage Daily News, berates her for letting her energy platform be dumbed down to "drill, baby, drill," while praising her for her truly outstanding accomplishments.
In energy alone they summarize:
However, even her own state's main newspaper, the Anchorage Daily News, berates her for letting her energy platform be dumbed down to "drill, baby, drill," while praising her for her truly outstanding accomplishments.
In energy alone they summarize:
In just two years as governor:
- She worked with lawmakers and used her popularity to vastly increase Alaska's take-home share of its oil wealth, providing the state with billions of dollars in budget surplus with an oil tax that increased both the base rate and captured progressively more at higher oil prices.
- She encouraged new investment and exploration with generous, intelligent tax credits.
- She kick-started investment in a natural gas pipeline -- both through her own Alaska Gasline Inducement Act and the response by North Slope producers BP Alaska and Conoco Phillips, who pledge to spend up to $600 million on their own project.
- She maintained her predecessor's hard- line stance with Exxon/Mobil over development of the Point Thomson gas reserves, ultimately deciding to take the leases back rather the trust Exxon to make good on its umpteenth promise to produce. That prompted Exxon to go to court. That also prompted Exxon to promise $1.3 billion of work on Point Thomson.
- She proposed a Renewable Energy Fund that lawmakers last session approved for $250 million over five years. This is money to bankroll wind, geothermal, tidal and other forms of renewable energy.
• She supported lawmakers' work on home energy conservation, including $200 million for the Weatherization Program that increased the qualifying income limits for individuals and families and $100 million for the Home Energy Rebate Program, which provides up to $10,000 per household for energy efficiency improvements.
(snip)
Her Alaska record shows she's paid attention, can see beyond drilling platforms and isn't afraid to take on the industry when the public good demands it. So far on the campaign trail she's shown gumption without vision on the subject of energy. Rather than pad her resume, she should build on it; she's got more to offer than "drill, baby, drill."BOTTOM LINE: Sarah Palin's got a solid energy record in Alaska. National voters need to hear more than "drill, baby, drill."
Meanwhile the late night comedians, who think a drill is something only dentists use and can't utter a thought without a teleprompter spewing someone else's words, and her opponents who have, as in Senator Obama's case mostly voted present in the legislature and accomplished nothing during his stint as a community organizer except "pal around with radicals" who practice vote fraud; and while Senator Joseph Biden plagiarizes and proclaims FDR went on television when the market crashed in 1929 and US Marines drove out Hezb'allah from Lebanon; all would freeze in their fancy energy consuming homes without energetic and creative doers such as Governor Palin.
