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Mitt Romney on Environment and Energy
As he introduced a new state policy to combat global warming, Governor Mitt Romney had a surprise for the environmentalists gathered along the Charles River Esplanade yesterday: Personally, he's not sure global warming is happening.
"I believe we are seeing global warming and I believe humans are contributing to it. I don't know how much global warming is because of our activity, I just don't know that answer."
"I would not take America into the Kyoto agreement unilaterally meaning I want to make sure that the other developing nations are part of any effort to reduce greenhouse gases."
But Kyoto-style sweeping mandates, imposed unilaterally in the United States, would kill jobs, depress growth and shift manufacturing to the dirtiest developing nations
"Ethanol is a good step, but its not a sufficient step. I believe we have to be developing more energy sources ourselves, which would include offshore drilling and drilling in ANWR, nuclear power, biodiesel, biofuels, cellulastic ethanol, probably liquefied coal...How are we going to develop those resources? Well, we need investments in technology. Probably subsidies as we do right now with ethanol."
[We need,] as a strategic imperative, energy independence for America. And it takes that Apollo project. It also takes biodiesel, biofuel, cellulosic ethanol, nuclear power, more drilling in ANWR.
2007 GOP debate at Saint Anselm College Jun 3, 2007
Within the next month, Romney will require more efficient energy use in state buildings, increased use of biofuels in the state automobile fleet and the creation of a lottery in which prizes will be awarded to consumers who buy energy-efficient equipment.
"Ethanol is a good step, but its not a sufficient step. I believe we have to be developing more energy sources ourselves, which would include offshore drilling and drilling in ANWR, nuclear power, biodiesel, biofuels, cellulastic ethanol, probably liquefied coal...How are we going to develop those resources? Well, we need investments in technology. Probably subsidies as we do right now with ethanol."
[We need,] as a strategic imperative, energy independence for America. And it takes that Apollo project. It also takes biodiesel, biofuel, cellulosic ethanol, nuclear power, more drilling in ANWR.
2007 GOP debate at Saint Anselm College Jun 3, 2007
To remain the economic and military superpower, America must address achieving energy independence...This will mean a combination of efforts related to conservation and efficiency measures, developing alternative sources of energy like biodiesel, ethanol, nuclear, and coal gasification, and finding more domestic sources of oil such as in ANWR or the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS)
PAC website, www.TheCommonwealthPac.com, "Meet Mitt" Dec 1, 2006
Supports 'cap and trade' systems only as part of an international cap
In his speech at the Detroit Economic Club, Mr. Romney took Washington lawmakers to task for being a "disinterested" in Michigan's plight and imposing upon the state's automakers a litany of "unfunded mandates," including a recent measure signed by President Bush that requires the raising of fuel efficiency standards.
"I'm hopeful that as we invest in this energy sector, that here in Massachusetts we'll find ways to dispose of or to reuse the waste that comes from nuclear power plants," the governor said.
[We need,] as a strategic imperative, energy independence for America. And it takes that Apollo project. It also takes biodiesel, biofuel, cellulosic ethanol, nuclear power, more drilling in ANWR.
2007 GOP debate at Saint Anselm College Jun 3, 2007
"Our cars need to be more fuel efficient"
He stated that he hopes to see cars running on 50mpg within the next 10-20 years and that "this country can lead the world in technology." He didn't identify what actions he would pursue or support to raise fuel efficiency, but did seem supportive of the idea.
Romney, at least for now, is playing it safe on the issue. A spokesman said Romney opposes a CAFE [corporate average fuel economy] standards increase on its own, but he left open the possibility that Romney would support an increase as part of a broader energy plan.
Romney's administration did, in late 2005, disappoint automakers by adopting California's strict regulations on vehicle emissions, which General Motors said was "tantamount to regulating fuel economy." But people familiar with the decision say a 1990 statute, which effectively requires Massachusetts to follow California's lead, left Romney with little choice.
Shrugging off the objections of his department head, Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney used approximately $45,000 in the state's parks and conservation money to stage a pre-Super Bowl send-off rally for the New England Patriots football team on January 30.
But Romney eliminated few top officials. Funding for state parks, forests and beaches dropped from $127.4 million in 2000 to $86.6 million in 2004, according to the Massachusetts Taxpayers Foundation, a business-backed group that tracks state spending.
The estimated cost of fixing the state's neglected park system has jumped from $800 million to $1.1 billion, a top state official confirmed yesterday. The new calculation came one day after Governor Mitt Romney announced $7 million in cuts to the state Department of Conservation and Recreation's maintenance budget as part of a $425 million spending freeze.
Cloaked in the rhetoric of "smart growth", the Romney administration has rescinded long-standing state policies and investments in land conservation.
Cut state funding for endangered species programs
As part of the 1990 legal agreement to begin the Big Dig highway project, Massachusetts promised to fund a number of desperately needed public transportation projects in order to ameliorate the increased pollution and traffic that the new highway would generate. But the Romney administration has consistently downsized, delayed, or outright terminated most of the projects that were included in the 1990 agreement, choosing instead to divert transportation funds to other expensive highway projects and mass transit extensions that would primarily benefit the Commonwealth's more affluent residents.
Clearing the way for the first MBTA fare hike since 2000, Governor Mitt Romney freed up the transit agency yesterday to increase fares on trains and buses despite declining ridership.
The Romney administration has heavily endorsed transit-oriented development - housing constructed near public transportation - and created a bond program to encourage such development. Millions of state dollars have been poured into pedestrian improvements, housing, parking and bicycle facilities within one-quarter mile of transit stations.