Last month's political conventions may have been devoid of any suspense, but the parties' platforms underscored some fundamental differences on energy issues.
Party activists wrote the platforms, which generally generally reflect the views of Bill Clinton and Bob Dole, but are not binding on the candidates.
Comparing stances
The parties disagreed on whether to open the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to exploration. Democrats pledged to fight against that, as they have been doing in Congress.
Republicans called ANWR "the largest known onshore or offshore petroleum reserve in the nation" and said it should be opened because that would increase tax revenues and create jobs while ANWR production would move through the existing Alaska pipeline.
Democrats "oppose new offshore oil drilling and mineral exploration and production in our nation's many environmentally critical areas and protect our oceans from oil spills."
The Republicans were silent about offshore exploration but said, "We support environmentally responsible energy extraction from public and private lands. We will not tolerate poor reclamation or pollution from mining or drilling."
Otherwise, the parties' environmental planks were similar.
Democrats said, "We believe we can create more jobs over the long run by cleaning the environment. We want to challenge businesses and communities to take more initiative in protecting the environment, and we want to make it easier for them to do it."
The Republicans advocated both "environmental improvement and the prudent development of our natural resources."
Democrats claim Republicans want to relax environmental laws. Republicans said Democrats were too strict on global climate change.
Republicans want the departments of energy and commerce abolished to trim government.
Democrats were silent on that but said the Clinton administration has eliminated nearly 240,000 federal jobs, 16,000 pages of unnecessary rules, and 179 programs and projects.
Both parties strongly advocated free international trade.
The GOP said, "Exports already fuel our economy; their continuing expansion is essential for full employment and long-term prosperity."
They said the World Trade Organization should not be allowed to undermine U.S. sovereignty and a WTO oversight commission was needed.
Democrats said, "If we want the American economy to continue strong growth, we must continue to expand trade and not retreat from the world. America's markets are open to the world, so America has a right to demand that the world's markets are open to our products."
Comparing oil views
Generally, the Republican platform had more to say about oil, natural gas, and energy, and more of it was positive; "Our goal is an energy supply available to all-competitively priced, secure, and clean-produced by healthy industries operating in an environmentally responsible manner using domestically available resources to the greatest extent practicable."
The GOP platform said the federal government should "expedite and streamline the exploration, leasing, and permitting process for the domestic oil and gas industry."
The Democrats pledged to "encourage energy efficiency that makes our economy more efficient and less reliant on foreign oil. We believe that adequate investments in better mass transit, cleaner cars, and renewable energy sources are good for the environment and good for the economy."
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