Renewable Energy
We're running short of oil. Not because there isn't any in the ground, but because we can't get it out fast enough. Demand continues to rise, the search for new oil fields has mostly come up empty and many older fields are in decline. Some experts are saying oil production has "peaked", that nothing that we can do will increase output. Many others say oil production hasn't yet peaked, but that it will soon. If the U.S. can't get enough oil, prices will spiral up and our transportation, production, agriculture systems will begin to shrink.

Yet, even if it were possible to increase production, it would not be wise. Oil use is a major cause of global warming. It's affecting our climate today: 2005 was the hottest year on record, winters have become much milder, severe storms have become more frequent and regional droughts are becoming common place. Our dependence on oil is becoming more costly to us and to the environment.

In spite of this, President Bush's energy bill just gave billions of dollars to the oil companies and deepened our commitment to oil. My opponent, Herb Kohl voted for this bill. Continuing to look at oil as our energy future is foolish. It will hurt us in the long run. We need to move away from oil as our energy source. We need to begin now.

Extensive energy conservation programs will bring huge resource savings for both the economy and the environment. Europe consumes less than half of the electricity consumed per capita in the U.S.

Crash program to develop and deploy clean energy. The U.S. has tremendous renewable energy potential. The government should take the lead in mobilizing the country convert to clean renewable energy technologies such as wind, solar, ocean power, geothermal, and small-scale hydro-electric.

Stop further oil and gas drilling or exploration on our nation's outer continental shelf, on our public lands, in the Rocky Mountains, and under the Great Lakes. We need to move away from oil dependence, not continue to destroy the environment pursuing it.

Retire nuclear power reactors as soon as possible, and phase-out of other technologies that use or produce nuclear waste. There is no such thing as the safe "disposal" nuclear waste. All six of the "low-level" nuclear waste dumps in the United States have leaked. Stop public subsidies for nuclear power, including Price-Anderson insurance caps and stranded cost recovery bailouts.