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For the presidential candidates of the 2016 primaries and caucuses the road to the White House is a long vigorous path. Both the Democratic and Republican Parties are intensely fueled by varied opinion. The GOP, in particular, consistently saturates headlines. The most outspoken of the bunch is candidate Donald J. Trump – recent winner the South Carolina and Nevada Republican Primaries.
Throughout recent history candidates have campaigned with the intention to embarrass their fellow counterparts as a means for attention. Advertising spending by candidates reaches the millions. (Source: https://www.opensecrets.org/outsidespending/summ.php?disp=C)
The issues adding fire to the flame are immigration, tax reform, and how each candidate plans on “fixing” Obamacare. Trump boosts over his plan to make the Mexican government erect a wall around the Mexican-American border. Ted Cruz with his Simple Flat Tax Plan (Source: https://www.tedcruz.org/tax_plan/). But one issue, which has remained of no immediate concern to candidates, is Energy Policy.
Donald Trump’s website (https://www.donaldjtrump.com/) lacks an energy policy.
According to a July 2015 article by San Antonio Business Journal Reporter Sergio Chapa (Source: http://www.bizjournals.com/sanantonio/blog/eagle-ford-shale-insight/2015/07/where-does-donald-trump-stand-on-the-crude-oil.html?surround=etf&ana=e_article) Trump’s policy is administered by the Washington based think tank SAFE (Securing America’s Future Energy). SAFE provides this information through their site The Fuse (http://energyfuse.org/).
The CEO of Independence LED lighting (http://independenceled.com/), Charlie Szoradi, makes a case by numbers to help candidates see a possible economic relief through the right energy policy. In his recently published findings - Presidential candidates should look up at the lights and launch a War on Energy Waste (http://independenceled.com/war-on-energy-waste/) - Charlie writes, ”A War on Energy Waste is a war that we can win.”
Donald Trump’s form of energy conservation does not include the advancement of solar, wind or any science based technology. Here is a quick summary of his five cornerstones, on the policy for energy:(Source: http://energyfuse.org/energy-policy-2016-spotlight-on-donald-trump/)
NOPEC – According to The Fuse, Trump blames OPEC (Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries) for its unpredictability in oil prices.
Fracking – Trumps strategy to put an end to American dependency on imported oil. In 2012, he tweeted (Source: https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/198131842593984515): “Fracking will lead to American energy independence. With price of natural gas continuing to drop, we can be at a tremendous advantage.”
Keystone XL – President Obama rejects the Keystone XL pipeline, which continues to be in a stand still (Source: http://www.cnn.com/2015/11/06/politics/keystone-xl-pipeline-decision-rejection-kerry/). In 2012 in a Fox News interview with Greta Van Susteren (Source: http://mediamatters.org/embed/clips/2012/01/18/22487/fnc-gvs-20120118-keystone), Trump found it “disgraceful” that a permit for the pipeline had not been approved. In 2015, he tweeted (Source: https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/662717972981551104): “So sad that Obama rejected Keystone Pipeline. Thousands of jobs, good for the environment, no downside!”
Energy Independence – In the same interview with Greta Van Susteren Trump goes on to say how it would benefit us to drill domestically. Putting an end to such high costs from imported oil.
Infrastructure – In his candidacy announcement, he declared to rebuild the nation’s infrastructure “on time and under budget.” (Source: http://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2016-election/donald-trump-says-hes-running-president-n376331)
Author: Julio Valenzuela is a freelance researcher and writer. For services contact jcvalenzuela00@gmail.com
