Republican presidential candidate John McCain tried to pack something for everyone into a big energy speech yesterday, saying the U.S. needs more conservation and renewables as well as more oil drilling, oil refineries, “clean-burning coal,” and nuclear power plants. He called for ending a federal moratorium on offshore oil drilling, but reiterated his opposition to drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. He criticized Barack Obama for not supporting domestic oil production and a suspension of the gas tax, and he also took swipes at the Bush-Cheney energy policy. “In the face of climate change and other serious challenges, energy conservation is no longer just a moral luxury or a personal virtue,” McCain said. “Conservation serves a critical national goal.” Also yesterday, McCain released a new climate-focused ad that aims to distance the candidate from Bush; in it, the narrator says, “John McCain stood up to the president and sounded the alarm on global warming, five years ago. Today, he has a realistic plan that will curb greenhouse-gas emissions.”
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