Warner touts renewable energy

STAUNTON — U.S. Senate candidate Mark Warner vowed Thursday to attack the fuel crisis by lifting the moratorium on offshore drilling, easing the permitting process to encourage oil companies to build more refineries and quadrupling spending on research into renewable energy.
But he remains opposed to drilling in Alaska’s Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, known as ANWR, a move favored by Republican opponent Jim Gilmore and a growing number of Americans riled by soaring gas prices.
“There are environmental and security problems with drilling in ANWR,” he said during a campaign stop in Staunton.
Warner said he plans to unveil a detailed energy plan after taking office following the November election.
Increasing refining capacity and letting states decide on whether to allow offshore drilling are among key components. But much of Warner’s focus is on renewable energy sources, including solar, wind and nuclear power and bio-fuels and hybrids.
He proposes increasing spending on renewable energy research from less than $2 billion to $10 billion annually. Renewable energy companies should receive a permanent tax credit for such research and development, he said.
Developing new energy sources would aid the long-term economy, Warner said.
“It can be the greatest job creation of the next 25 years,” he said.
But getting fellow senators to buy into the plan could be tricky, perhaps especially so for Warner who as a former state governor and entrepreneur in the cell phone industry, is accustomed to the role of chief executive.
“It’s a challenge,” he said.
To overcome it, Warner told a crowd in downtown Staunton, he would fashion a coalition of senators that he described as “radical centrists.”
That coalition, he said, would not only help him get his energy plan passed, but would take the lead in boosting America’s worldwide competitiveness and establishing a stronger fiscal policy for the federal government.
Warner frequently tells the story of how he failed at numerous business ventures after graduating from Harvard Law School. He said his approach to his energy plan and other initiatives as senator would be similar.
“I may fail,” he said after talking to elementary students at the Wilson Presidential Library. “But I’ve got to try.”