McCain talks nuclear, clean coal energy
Posted: Wednesday, June 18, 2008 9:48 PM by Mark Murray
From NBC/NJ's Adam Aigner-Treworgy
SPRINGFIELD, MO -- McCain has made his affinity for nuclear power clear throughout this campaign, but today he got a bit more specific. Continuing his energy week with an event at Missouri State University this afternoon, McCain pledged that as president he would "set this nation on a course to building 45 new reactors by the year 2030, with the ultimate goal of 100 new plants."
VIDEO: Presenting his plan for addressing the nation's energy crisis, Sen. John McCain exposed dramatic difference between himself and Sen. Barack Obama in the energy debate. NBC's Andrea Mitchell reports.
In a state that relies heavily on coal, McCain also pledged $2 billion annually to research and development of clean coal technology -- something he said was crucial to ending America's dependence on foreign oil.
But in a speech dedicated largely to energy, the presumptive GOP nominee also found time to criticize his opponent for having an energy plan that shows -- according to McCain -- that "the solution to every problem and the answer to every challenge is a new tax."
"For his part, Sen. Obama has a different outlook on all of this," McCain said. "Instead of new energy production, he wants new energy taxes. And he's against any tax relief to give folks a break at the pump. I've noticed a pattern here."
While delivering this pointed attack on Obama's support of a windfall profits tax, McCain was interrupted by a protester who criticized the senator for taking significant amounts of money from big oil companies. Later McCain said, "I don't know what he's talking about."
Some of the most pointed attacks on Obama featured in prepared texts of McCain's speech were omitted from the actual speech itself.
According to the text that was distributed to reporters before the speech, McCain was supposed to criticize Obama for supporting the Bush-Cheney energy bill. "Come to think of it, that energy bill was the only time we've ever seen Senator Obama vote in favor of any tax break -- and it was a tax break for the oil companies," the text said.
On nuclear power, moreover, the prepared text showed that McCain had planned to criticize Obama for remaining relatively agnostic on the issue: "Sen. Obama says, 'I am not a nuclear energy proponent.' I think that makes him a nuclear energy opponent, though he does have a knack for nuance and it's not entirely clear."
