Ralph Nader and the Environment

This blog has covered all the Presidential candidates and their various platforms & records on the environment. You can see comparisons between Hillary & Obama or Obama & McCain. You can read an interview with Ron Paul on the environment and you can sign a petition encouraging Obama & McCain to run carbon neutral campaigns.

Now that Ralph Nader has entered the 2008 Presidential contest, I feel obligated to include his views on environmental policy on the blog as well.

The important thing to know about Nader is that he has been working as a consumer advocate for decades. The issues he advocates for include corporate responsibility, consumer safety and environmental protection.

With this in mind, what would a Nader presidency include:

• A carbon tax on factories and energy plants to discourage release of carbon emissions.

• A timed phase-out of fossil fuel over the next 25 years, beginning with the worst offenders, coal and oil.

• A movement away from the current trend of government funding for corn-based ethanol and nuclear development.

• No more funding of "clean coal" technology because, despite what Obama believes, Nader says there is no such thing as clean coal.

• A level playing field where oil and gas companies do not receive the lion's share of tax subsidies and tax breaks.

• Legalized industrial hemp for consumer products like paper, cloth, etc.

• In leiu of tax incentives or subsidies, tax penalties for failure to meet pollution standards as well as technology forcing technology supported by in-house government research and development.
  

• An end to mountain top mining where the tops of mountains are blown off to access coal at a inexpensive price.

• Reform of the 1872 Mining Law that allows mining of minerals for as little as $2.50 an acre. This law gives away our natural resources at incredibly low prices while forcing tax payers to foot the bill on cleaning up the mess from mining.

• An end to commercial logging on federal lands.
  

If you are interested in reading an interview with Nader on his '08 environmental platform and his background on environmental issues, go HERE

You can visit Nader's official campaign website HERE