John Edwards (Democrat)
Senator John Edwards has three central themes for his campaign: Standing up for Regular Families, Restoring America's Leadership Role in the World, and Investing in our Future and our Communities. Many science and technology (S&T) themes are covered under "Investing in our Future," for example, global warming, energy and energy efficiency, education, and innovation.
Competitiveness & Innovation
Senator Edwards stated that "the single most important factor for America's future prosperity is investment in education, science, technology and innovation." His platform includes tax credits, patent reform, increased research and development (R&D) spending, and innovation through a new "energy economy." He intends to:
- Make the Research and Experimentation (R&E) tax credit permanent.
- Improve patent quality by reforming U.S. patent laws and devoting more resources to the patent office. (Source: TechCrunch)
- Increase spending on basic research at the National Science Foundation and National Institutes of Health and lift research restrictions (e.g., embryonic stem cells).
- Implement a "Green Collar Jobs" initiative that would train 150,000 workers a year for jobs in a "new energy economy."
- Create a $13 billion New Energy Economy Fund by auctioning off greenhouse emission permits and repealing subsidies for big oil companies. The fund will support U.S. R&D in energy technology, help entrepreneurs start new businesses, invest in new carbon-capture and efficient automobile technology and assist in energy conservation.
STEM Education & Workforce
Senator Edwards has stated that "every school should be wired" and that "we need to overhaul our curricula to emphasize technological skills, math and science, creative thinking and problem-solving." Edwards' plans emphasize teacher training, affordable college, and strengthening high school curricula. Key aspects of Edward's education plan include:
- Career Academies in high schools that link students to local employers and skills in high-demand industries, including information technology
- Overhaul No Child Left Behind
- Launch a "School Success Fund" to rebuild and restore schools
- Create a national teachers' university to recruit 1,000 top college students a year, train them and encourage them to teach in high-need areas
- Implement a new program, "College for Everyone," that would provide a full year of public college tuition and books to any college-qualified student who is willing to work part-time.
Better Health for Americans
Senator Edwards platform focuses three key disease areas: HIV/AIDS, cancer, and autism. Within these core areas, he plans to increase research, improve access to healthcare and provide additional support for families dealing with these diseases.
Edwards also favors expanding federal funding for embryonic stem cell research.
Energy & Environment
Senator Edwards' climate change plan covers three goals: reduce carbon emissions by 80 percent by 2050, transform energy use in America to usher in a new energy economy, and freeze the demand for electricity with efficiency for the next decade.
Specifically, he intends to:
- Cap greenhouse gas emissions starting in 2010 with a cap-and-trade system, and reducing them by 15 percent by 2020 and 80 percent by 2050
- Create a $13 billion New Energy Economy Fund by auctioning off greenhouse emission permits and repealing subsidies for big oil companies. The fund will support R&D in energy technology, assist entrepreneurs, invest in new carbon-capture and efficient automobile technology and assist conservation efforts
- Pursue a new climate treaty that commits other countries—including developing nations—to reduce their pollution
- Double the Department of Energy research budget
- Make permanent tax credits for the production of renewable energy
- Require power companies to generate 25 percent of their energy from renewable sources by 2025
- Invest $1 billion a year in research clean coal technologies and carbon sequestration. Place a moratorium on new coal-fired power plants that lack the technology to capture their carbon emissions.
- Reduce Oil Imports by 7.5 Million Barrels a Day by 2025.
- Provide $1 billion a year to U.S. automakers "to advance and apply the latest technology including, biofuels, hybrid, plug-in hybrid, and electric cars, hydrogen fuel cells, ultra-light materials, and drive train improvements."
- Invest in engine efficiency and low-carbon fuels for the freight, aviation, and maritime transportation, such as biodiesel for truck fleets.
- Produce 65 Billion Gallons of Ethanol a Year by 2025. Require oil companies to install ethanol pumps at 25 percent of their gas stations and require all new cars sold after 2010 to be "flex fuel" cars running on either gasoline or biofuel.
- Raise Fuel Economy Standards to 40 miles per gallon by 2016.
- Invest in public-private research partnerships for biofuels production
- Provide $5,000 tax credit for homes and small businesses that invest in renewable energy and change regulations that hinder new energy producers from selling their power to the grid
- Expand Smart Meters and Smart Grids to use energy more wisely.
- Invest in weatherized homes and more efficient buildings and appliances.
- Reduce the U.S. Government's energy use by 20 Percent and make the White House carbon neutral.
- Create a GreenCorps within AmeriCorp, a program to allow young adults to fight climate change.
National & Homeland Security
Senator Edwards believes that in addition to a strong military, a comprehensive strategy requires strong and creative diplomacy, respect for human rights, and moral leadership.
Governance
Edwards believes that policy should be science driven, and that science shouldn't be politics driven. He has stated that he "will make sure that government professionals charged with the collection and analysis of scientific data—from medical research to mercury emissions—are insulated from political influence."
His science governance platform includes:
- Eliminate political litmus tests for government scientists.
- Protect the integrity of government science by prohibiting political appointees from overriding agencies' scientific findings unless the chief White House science advisor concludes they are erroneous.
- Reverse the demotion of the head of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, and restore the office to a central role as an assistant to the president, a rank held in previous administrations.
