Kansas Senator Sam Brownback was born, raised, and lives in that great corn-growing state. Brownback’s official presidential campaign website describes him as: "Principled. Conservative. Republican." Given Brownback’s conservative beliefs and political agenda, I wanted to get his views on clean energy and energy independence for America.

Let me give you a little background on Brownback. He is a Republican United States Senator from the Sunflower State. He is currently completing his second term, which expires in 2008. An attorney by profession, Brownback served one term as a Congressman from 1994 to 1996. In 1996, he ran for the open US Senate seat that was being vacated by Bob Dole, who left, coincidentally, in order to run for President. Brownback won that race and was reelected in 2002. He is married to Mary Stauffer, and they have five children.

As so many other candidates have done, Brownback has made several treks to the state of New Hampshire. A right of passage for these candidates occurs when they visit New Hampshire’s WMUR-TV and appear on the Conversation with a Candidate television program. In March, Brownback went before WMUR’s cameras, and when questioned by this writer about clean energy, he stated the following points:

• "I am from Kansas, a corn-growing state." (OK, I get that)
• "Wouldn’t you rather be dependent on the Midwest rather than the Middle East for your energy?" (Wow! What a great sound-bite line! Can’t you hear that on the nightly news being replayed over and over again? Masterful!)
• "I support using renewable energy in the US." (Hmmm … maybe this guy ‘gets’ it!)
• "But I also want to use our reserves of oil, and to drill in a very limited area in ANWR in Alaska, not more than 15 square miles." (Uh oh! He doesn’t get it!)
• "We also need to at least consider nuclear power." (Well, he didn’t surprise me after all. Unfortunately!)

I didn’t get to ask a follow-up question to Brownback at WMUR, but my question did allow for a great piece of ‘theatre’ for him. When I asked him my question about clean energy, he reached into the pocket of his suit jacket. Before answering, he pulled a piece of brown cloth out and handed it to me. He asked me if I knew what the soft and stretchy material was. I wasn’t 100% certain, but I had an idea where this was going. Ethanol? Yes! It was made from a by-product of the ethanol-making process. It seemed soft and pliable, yet stretchy and strong. He smiled after seeing the look of amazement from some of the folks in the studio audience. He was definitely ‘playing to the camera’ on this one. But he didn’t respond, however, to a later question about corn subsidies and how they affect the price of ethanol.

While I will not comment on Brownback’s positions on a variety of other issues, let’s discuss the important issues for those of us concerned about energy and environmental issues:

• Republicans for Environmental Protection criticized Brownback for his support for drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife refuge. They criticized his support for drilling in the eastern waters of the Gulf of Mexico. Finally, they also criticized him for his opposition to a bill that promoted energy-efficiency and renewable energy.
• Brownback says that we must reduce the amount of CO2 in the atmosphere, as long as it "doesn’t kill the economy."
• Regarding a cap-and-trade system, Brownback says, "I’m not at the point yet where I’ve been able to say the cap-and-trade system would be effective without substantially harming the economy, and that it would create a substantial reduction of CO2.
• His campaign website devotes a grand total of seven whole sentences to the topic of Energy, as follows:

Due to years of neglect and short-sighted domestic policies, America is on the verge of an energy crisis. Our supply of energy has not kept pace with our demand. Today our nation produces 39% less oil than we did in 1970. This leaves us dependent on foreign suppliers, who often do not have America’s best interests at heart. This Congress, I co-sponsored the Dependence Reduction through Innovation in Vehicles and Energy (DRIVE) Act. This bill aims to reduce our oil consumption by 2.5 million barrels per day in ten years by taking an innovative, market-based approach that relies on advanced technology and an expansion of renewable fuels. I will continue to fight for energy independence."

Brownback is as he bills himself: Principled, Conservative, Republican. But his energy and environmental plans seem, to me at least, to be thin, predictable, and small in scope and stature.

We may not be in Kansas anymore, but an energy plan from Oz wont solve our nation’s energy needs either.

Next week…… Democratic Governor Bill Richardson!

Sources:

SmartPower - a national, non-profit marketing organization leading the creation of a vibrant market for clean energy and energy efficiency.

Brownback for President - Official Campaign Website

Image Source: Official Senate Website