Greenpeace did a backgrounder on all the possible Obama VP picks and here is what they had to say about Biden:
Delaware Senator Joseph Biden
Climate Crisis
• Biden is a cosponsor of the Global Warming Pollution Reduction Act, which would reduce climate pollution 80 percent by 2050, the level scientists say is necessary to avoid climate catastrophe.
• Biden favors a cap, auction and trade system for greenhouse gases and wants to use the proceeds to support large-scale development of clean energy resources.
Oil
• Biden has supported protection of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge in Alaska, America’s Serengeti.
• Biden has opposed drilling off America’s fragile coasts.
Coal
• Biden opposes the construction of new coal-fired power plants that don’t capture and store their greenhouse gas emissions. However, he has supported exporting carbon capture technology to countries like China.
• Biden has opposed subsidies to coal companies for turning coal into an automotive fuel, an energy-intensive process that would produce up to double the global warming pollution of regular oil.
Nuclear
• Biden has opposed increased subsidies for nuclear power, although he believes nuclear could play a role in the future energy supply.
• Biden has recognized some of the safety problems with nuclear energy and has called for tougher oversight of the government’s Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
Clean Energy & Efficiency
• Biden is a co-sponsor (with Senator Obama) of the Fuel Economy Reform Act, which would raise fuel efficiency standards to 40 mpg by 2017, reducing greenhouse gases significantly and save drivers over $1 trillion.
• Biden supports a Clean Energy Standard that would require utilities to produce 20 percent of their electricity from clean sources like wind, solar, and geothermal power by 2020.
LCV Score
• In 2006, Biden had a lifetime score of 84 from the League of Conservation Voters.
Additional Resources
Grist.org environemental profile and interview of Joe Biden: http://www.grist.org/feature/2007/08/29/biden_f...
