Neither candidate has a useful idea of how to craft energy policy

By Peter Z. Grossman

The Providence Journal

Published: Tuesday, Sept. 25 2012 12:00 a.m. MDT

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Summary

We've heard it all before. Over and over for most of the last 40 years. From politicians of both parties, cliches and nonsense on energy.

What is really unfortunate about the president's policies is that he could actually do some good on the energy front by ordering the Environmental Protection Agency to suspend the pernicious Renewable Fuel Standard — a.k.a. the ethanol mandate. He could even blame George W. Bush since the 2007 ethanol bill was one Bush strongly endorsed.

Then again so did Sen. Barack Obama and many other Democrats in Congress.

Of course, that bill had a lofty goal beyond ethanol: As House Speaker Nancy Pelosi described it, this was the U.S. "energy independence day" bill.

And who opposes that?

Peter Z. Grossman is a professor of economics at Butler University in Indianapolis and the author of "U.S. Energy Policy and the Pursuit of Failure."

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patriot

Cedar Hills, UT

Well one thing is for certain - if you shut down all new drilling on public lands and waters, go to war against coal production and tax and regulate to death every other energy producer you are dead in the water. Mitt will drill and build new More..

10:50 a.m. Sept. 25, 2012
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Hutterite

American Fork, UT

Both candidates get to make the odd speech in front of a wind turbine or something but mostly it's status quo. The problem is that the status quo is getting real expensive.

10:43 a.m. Sept. 25, 2012
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Screwdriver

Casa Grande, AZ

Solar panels are at an all time low in prices, that's why solyndra went out of business. Nobody expected the huge decrease in natural gas prices. Even T Boon Pickens guy will tell you he lost a huge amount of money in wind power because of the More..

6:00 p.m. Sept. 25, 2012
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