[edit] Energy

Former Governor Romney's energy proposal focuses on weaning America off foreign oil through innovation and research, the use of nuclear technology, and increasing domestic production of oil and natural gas. He has made statements indicating that he wishes to make America energy independent in 20 to 30 years. The Romney plan also cites the need for conservation and looks to alternative energy sources such as ethanol, nuclear, biodiesel, and coal gasification as areas of possible energy development. Romney’s campaign has issued a policy briefing detailing his support of clean coal technologies.

As Governor of Massachusetts, his administration produced a Climate Protection Plan that called for increased energy efficiency in state buildings, an increased use of biofuels in state cars, and proposals for wind and biomass power generation plants for state facilities. However, he also removed Massachusetts from the Regional Green House Gas Initiative (RGGI) because of concerns about increasing energy prices.

[edit] Evolution/Intelligent Design

In an interview in May 2007 with The New York Times, Romney said “I believe that God designed the universe and created the universe. And I believe evolution is most likely the process he used to create the human body.” When asked if that belief meant intelligent design, he responded, “I’m not exactly sure what is meant by intelligent design. But I believe God is intelligent and I believe he designed the creation. And I believe he used the process of evolution to create the human body.”

As Governor of Massachusetts he was opposed to the teaching of intelligent design in science classes. In the same interview with The New York Times, he made statements on the role of intelligent design in schools, saying, “In my opinion, the science class is where to teach evolution, or if there are other scientific thoughts that need to be discussed. If we’re going to talk about more philosophical matters, like why it was created, and was there an intelligent designer behind it, that’s for the religion class or philosophy class or social studies class.”

[edit] Environment

[edit] Arctic National Wildlife Refuge

Governor Romney supports drilling in ANWR, on his website, he states "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)"^[1]

[edit] Global Warming

Romney has announced that he thinks climate change is partly being caused by human actions. He has also indicated, however, that he does not think environmentalism has to be anti-business. A campaign press release from February 2007 quotes Romney as saying, “As governor, I found that thoughtful environmentalism need not be anti-growth and anti-jobs. But Kyoto-style sweeping mandates, imposed unilaterally in the United States, would kill jobs, depress growth and shift manufacturing to the dirtiest developing nations. Republicans should never abandon pro-growth conservative principles in an effort to embrace the ideas of Al Gore. Instead of sweeping mandates, we must use America's power of innovation to develop alternative sources of energy and new technologies that use energy more efficiently."

[edit] Healthcare

Romney supports extended health care coverage for all Americans through market reforms of the healthcare system. Released on August 24, 2007, his campaign’s health care plan looks to stimulate the growth of private health insurance options by expanding and deregulating the market, redirecting federal spending to help low-income citizens to purchase their own private care, reform the tax codes and expand Health Savings Accounts, promote innovation in Medicaid, reform medical liability, and modernize the healthcare system. The plan is also available as a PowerPoint presentation.

As the governor of Massachusetts, Romney was successful in passing a law that required all state citizens to buy insurance if they are not provided plans at work.

[edit] Stem Cell Research

Romney does not support the use of cloned embryos for research, but believes it is ethical to use embryos taken from fertility clinics to extract stem cells. He supports the ban on federal funding for embryonic stem cell research while supporting federal funding for research for extracting stem cells through other processes such as altered nuclear transfer and direct reprogramming. In June 2007, Governor Romney wrote a piece for The National Review Online that highlighted his ideas on stem cell research.

At the time he ran for governor of Massachusetts, however, Romney did support embryonic stem cell research. At a bioethics forum in June 2002, he said, "I am in favor of stem cell research. I will work and fight for stem cell research," he said, adding, "I'd be happy to talk to [President Bush] about this, though I don't know if I could budge him an inch."

[edit] Speeches on Science and Health Policy Issues

[edit] SCIENCE IN THE DEBATES:

CNN/L.A. Times/Politico.com Republican Debate, January 30, 2008

Question:Senator McCain, Governor Schwarzenegger has proposed that California be allowed to implement much tougher environmental regulations on emission requirements than apply to the rest of the country. This is an initiative that conservatives generally oppose, and the Bush administration rejected California's request.Do you side with the governor or with the Bush administration?...

Romney: Well, I side with states to be able to make their own regulations with regards to emissions within their own states. But let's talk about our policies with regards to greenhouse gases and global warming. I think we all agree that America should become energy independent. The consequences of us continuing to buy over $1 billion of oil a day from people who oftentimes use this money against us is bad for our economy; it's bad for our foreign policy; and all that energy being used is probably bad for our environment. It's probably warming our environment. And we want that to stop. So a unilateral action to get ourselves off of foreign oil makes all the sense in the world.

Nuclear power, biodiesel, biofuel, all the renewables, liquefied coal, where you sequester the carbon dioxide, those things make all the sense in the world. But when you put in place a new cap or a mandate, and particularly if you don't have any safety valve as to how much the cost of that cap might be, you would impose on the American people, if you do it unilaterally, without involving all the world, you'd impose on the American people a huge new effective tax: 20 percent on utilities, 50 cents a gallon for gasoline -- that's according to the energy information agency -- would be imposed on us. And here's what happens. I've lived in the business world. I've lived in the real economy for 25 years of my life. What happens if you do that? You put a big burden on energy in this country as the energy-intensive industries say, "We're going to move our new facilities from America to China, where they don't have those agreements."

And you end up polluting and putting just as much CO-2 in the air because the big energy users go there. That's why these ideas make sense, but only on a global basis. They don't call it "America warming." They call it "global warming." That's why you've got to have a president that understands the real economy.

View Transcript

Des Moines Register Republican Debate, December 12, 2007

Question: …What impact on the economy would be acceptable in order to reverse global warming and greenhouse gas emissions? Governor Romney?

Romney: Well, it's going to help our economy because we're going to invest in new technologies to get ourselves off of foreign oil, and as we get ourselves off of foreign oil, we also dramatically reduce our CO2 emissions. That's good for the environment; it's also good for our economy. Because $300 to $400 billion worth of oil a year from other people who use it against us, that's bad for our economy, it's also bad for the environment… We can do these things in a way that help both the environment and the economy and national security. That's the beauty of what we're talking about here, which is, yeah, is global warming an issue for the world? Absolutely. Is it something we can deal with by becoming energy independent and energy secure? We sure can. But at the same time, we call it global warming, not America warming. So let's not put a burden on us alone and have the rest of the world skate by without having to participate in this effort. It's a global effort, but our independence is something we can do unilaterally.

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MSNBC/CNBC Republican Debate, October 9, 2007

Question: Governor Romney, you said government shouldn't get involved in business and free markets. Yet we subsidized farmers to the tune of $26 billion last year. Will the government end up bailing out farmers again?

Romney: I believe in domestic supports for our agriculture industry. I don't want to see our food supply be in the same kind of a jeopardy situation that our energy supply is in. And clearly there's a responsibility of government to make sure that our farmers are treated on the same basis as farmers in Europe and other markets that we compete with. We're in the middle of the Doha Round, the WTO talks, and if we find a way to bring down subsidies around the world, that'll be good news. But with regards to energy -- and that's really the heart of what we're describing here -- one side of this is, of course, the fear; the fear of the fact that we face global warming, that we face serious competitive challenges globally unless we become serious with getting prices of energy down. But the other is the opportunity. It's a great opportunity for America to develop technology to lead the world in energy efficiency as well as energy production. And whether it's nuclear or liquefied coal, where we sequester the CO2, far more fuel- efficient automobiles -- by the way, where bureaucrats don't write the rules, but where business people come together and say let's find a way to make sure that the American -- the domestic industry can thrive. These are some of the incentives that have to be behind our policies with regards to our investments…in new technologies like ethanol.

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MSNBC/Politico.com Republican Debate, May 3, 2007

Question: Mrs. Reagan wants to expand federal funding of embryonic stem cell research. Will that progress under your administration, Governor?

Romney: It certainly will. Altered nuclear transfer, I think, is perhaps the best source...

Moderator: Embryonic. Embryonic.

Romney: Altered nuclear transfer creates embryo-like cells that can be used for stem cell research. In my view, that's the most promising source. I have a deep concern about curing disease. I have a wife that has a serious disease that could be affected by stem cell research and others. But I will not -- I will not create new embryos through cloning or through embryo farming, because that will be creating life for the purpose of destroying it.

Question: And you won't take any from these fertility clinics to use either?

Romney: I'm happy to allow that to -- or I shouldn't say happy. It's fine for that to be allowed, to be legal. I won't use our government funds for that. Instead, I want our governments to be used on Dr. Hurlbut's method, which is altered nuclear transfer.

View Transcript

[edit] Endnotes

1. ↑ Mitt Romney, Issue Watch. https://www.mittromney.com/Issue-Watch/Energy