5 Energy Issues to Watch for in the Democratic Presidential Debates

UPDATE: After the debates, Matt offered updated thoughts on what the Democratic presidential candidates shared.

It’s not debatable: climate change is a problem and we’ll need major changes in our energy system in years to come. But the details certainly are open for discussion. So how will the Democratic presidential candidates see the issue, when they gather on Wednesday and Thursday nights for the first debates?

Here are five issues to watch for:

1. Technology-inclusive approach to climate change. According to the United Nations’ panel on climate change, we’re going to need lots of carbon-free energy from lots of sources. Big problems are seldom stopped by silver bullets; what’s needed is a strategy and a mix of solutions. Nuclear energy provides more than 55 percent of the zero-emission electricity in the United States and should be part of any climate solution, along with renewables and other carbon-free options. The electric grid has benefitted for decades from having a diversity of electricity sources, and that diversity will become even more important with the growth of energy from intermittent renewable sources, which vary tremendously by time of day and year. Are the candidates talking about a balanced approach, based on zero-carbon technologies that complement each other?
2. National clean energy policy. Today we have a patchwork of state-level approaches and no federal strategy. In fact, while many states value clean air and climate-friendly generators, some federal regulations stand in the way, because they are exclusively concerned with economic issues. Can Washington align itself with the states to encourage clean energy goals? Or better yet, can it approach what is obviously a national issue with a national solution? Electricity doesn’t recognize state lines, and neither does carbon.
3. U.S. technology leadership abroad. Beyond the United States, climate is a global problem. We must do our part, including cleaning up our own emissions, but we should also reassert our global leadership in technology, especially nuclear technology, by helping the rest of the world lower carbon emissions too. We should focus on places that have plans for major growth in electricity consumption. What are the candidates saying about the American role in the energy world?
4. Government investment in research. Some of the tools needed to move to a low-carbon electric system—like advanced reactor technologies—are currently in development; others are still on the drawing boards. There is a problem here: major new industries are seldom established without a push from government. Jet engines, commercial satellites, the internet and the current generation of nuclear reactors are all spin-offs of products initially developed for the government. What kind of push are the candidates suggesting?
5. Used fuel in Yucca Mountain. The federal government promised 40 years ago to establish a repository for used nuclear fuel, and under contracts that it required the electric utilities to sign, it accepted payments from the generators in exchange for agreeing to take deliveries of the fuel beginning in 1998. It hasn’t started yet, though, because of political disputes in Congress. Are the candidates talking about having Washington fulfill its contractual commitments?

We realize that the primary campaign—and the next election—are about a lot more than just climate and energy. But the health of our planet and how we reach a clean energy future are certainly priority items on the election agenda.