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Gary Johnson presidential campaign, 2016/Energy and environmental policy
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2016 Presidential Election Gary Johnson 2016 Libertarian presidential nominee Running mate: Bill Weld |
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See what Gary Johnson and the 2016 Libertarian Party Platform said about energy and environmental policy.
| CANDIDATE SUMMARY | |
Johnson on energy and environmental policy
- In a speech on September 14, 2016, Johnson voiced his support for the EPA, saying, “Government I think has a fundamental responsibility to protect us against those that would do us harm, in this case pollution. And I support the EPA.”[2]
- On his campaign website, Johnson described his approach to environmental policy: "We need to stand firm to protect our environment for our future generations, especially those designated areas of protection like our National Parks. Consistent with that responsibility, the proper role of government is to enforce reasonable environmental protections. Governor Johnson did that as Governor, and would do so as President. Governor Johnson believes the Environmental Protection Agency, when focused on its true mission, plays an important role in keeping the environment and citizens safe. Johnson does not, however, believe the government should be engaging in social and economic engineering for the purpose of creating winners and losers in what should be a robust free market. Preventing a polluter from harming our water or air is one thing. Having politicians in Washington, D.C., acting on behalf of high powered lobbyists, determine the future of clean energy innovation is another. ... In a healthy economy that allows the market to function unimpeded, consumers, innovators, and personal choices will do more to bring about environmental protection and restoration than will government regulations driven by special interests. Too often, when Washington, D.C. gets involved, the winners are those with the political clout to write the rules of the game, and the losers are the people and businesses actually trying to innovate. ... Governors Johnson and Weld strongly believe that the federal government should prevent future harm by focusing on regulations that protect us from real harm, rather than needlessly costing American jobs and freedom in order to pursue a political agenda."[3]
- In a video posted to YouTube in March 2012, Gary Johnson said he opposed the Keystone XL pipeline only if eminent domain were necessary to establish it. "If the Keystone pipeline is an issue of eminent domain – no, the government should not get involved or I'd have to really have a look at that. If it's rules and regulations that we're talking about, then, yes, rules and regulations can make and should make and I would support making the Keystone XL pipeline happen."[4]
- Commenting on the balance between environmental protection and energy production on his 2012 presidential campaign website, Johnson wrote, "When it comes to the environment, the Federal government’s responsibility is no different than in other aspects of our lives. It is simply to protect us from those who would do us harm and damage our property. There are bad actors who would pollute our water supplies and our air if allowed to do so, and we must have laws and regulations to protect innocent Americans from the harm those bad actors would do. However, common sense must prevail, and the costs of all regulations must be weighed against the benefits. The government should simply stay out of the business of trying to promote or 'manage' energy development. The marketplace will meet our energy needs in the most economical and efficient manner possible – if government will stay out of the way."[5]
- In September 2012, Johnson praised the Environmental Protection Agency, writing, "The EPA protects us against those that would pollute, and without them a lot more polluters would be allowed to pollute."[6]
- Johnson said he favored nuclear power in an August 2011 interview.[7]
Climate change
- In an interview with the Washington Examiner on July 10, 2016, Johnson commented on the EPA and coal industry, saying, "The role, as far as the Environmental Protection Agency, is to identify health or safety concerns with regard to emissions. I think right now what is happening with climate change, what is happening with the coal industry, is that coal has been bankrupted. It has been bankrupted by the free market. As low as the price of coal is today, natural gas is even lower. So, no new coal plants are going to be built ... Those that exist now are being grandfathered in [under the EPA regulations]. So, coal, the number one contributor to CO2 emissions in the world, is dead. Coal is dead. And the free market did it because we, as consumers, are demanding less carbon emissions.[8]
- In an interview with CNBC on August 22, 2016, Johnson said, "I do think that climate change is occurring, that it is man-caused. One of the proposals that I think is a very libertarian proposal, and I'm just open to this, is taxing carbon emission that may have the result of being self-regulating. ... The market will take care of it. I mean, when you look at it from the standpoint of better results, and actually less money to achieve those results, that's what is being professed by a carbon tax."[9]
- On the questions of climate change and whether or not humans contribute to it, Johnson said on his campaign website: "Is the climate changing? Probably so. Is man contributing to that change? Probably so. But the critical question is whether the politicians’ efforts to regulate, tax and manipulate the private sector are cost-effective – or effective at all."[3]
- Johnson said in a December 2011 interview with NPR that although he believed climate change was human-induced, he did not support cap and trade regulations to lower carbon emissions. He said, "You know, I'm accepting that global warming is man-caused. That said, I am opposed to cap and trade. I think that free-market approach. Hey, we're all demanding less carbon emission. I think we're going to get it."[10]
Fracking
- In November 2011, Johnson said he would "keep an open mind" on fracking. He cautioned, however, that "the fact that in Pennsylvania you could turn your faucet on and get water before fracking, and afterwards you could light it — that's a concern. That's a real, live concern.”[11]
| The 2016 Libertarian Party Platform on energy and environmental policy | ||||||
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See also
Footnotes
- ↑ Reason.com, "Gary Johnson To Announce He's Running for President Today," January 6, 2016
- ↑ NPR, "Libertarian Nominee Gary Johnson Delivers Economic Speech In Detroit," September 14, 2016
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 JohnsonWeld, "Environment," accessed September 1, 2016
- ↑ YouTube, "Gary Johnson on Keystone pipeline," March 24, 2012
- ↑ Gary Johnson 2012, "Environment," accessed January 9, 2016
- ↑ Reddit, "I am Gov. Gary Johnson, the Libertarian candidate for President. AMA," September 26, 2012
- ↑ Scott Holleran, "Interview with Gary Johnson," August 21, 2011
- ↑ Washington Examiner, "Gary Johnson: I'll cut your taxes," July 10, 2016
- ↑ CNBC, "Libertarian Gary Johnson on 2016: 'This is the demise of the Republican Party'," August 22, 2016
- ↑ NPR, "Johnson Discusses Seeking Libertarian Nomination," December 30, 2011
- ↑ Politico, "Morning Energy," November 18, 2011
- ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ Libertarian Party, "The 2016 Libertarian Party Platform," accessed August 23, 2016
