McCain and Obama on High Fuel Prices

Both presidential candidates commented today on the current high fuel prices, although for some strange reason neither of them suggested EcoDriving as part of the solution to the problem!

According to a New York Times report on a meeting in Detroit at which Al Gore formally endorsed Barack Obama for the first time Mr. Obama said:

Al Gore has done more to educate the world about this problem than anyone. But I have to say, as extraordinary as Al Gore’s work has been, there’s nothing like $4 a gallon gas to get your attention.

The same report also mentions that at his campaign headquarters today John McCain:

Called for lifting the federal moratorium on offshore oil drilling for states that want to permit it. He said the impact of high fuel prices was hitting Americans not only at the pump but also in the form of rising food costs and threats of inflation, so he favored giving states incentives to allow exploration as well.

“We must embark on a national mission to eliminate our dependence on foreign oil and reduce greenhouse gases through the development of alternate energy sources,” adding that he still supported a summer gasoline tax holiday.

Commenting on this statement Daniel J. Weiss, a global warming expert from the Center for American Progress said:

Mr. McCain’s call to lift the moratorium was a “partial capitulation” to the oil industry in that states that did not want to drill offshore would not have to.

“McCain is handing America’s coasts on a platter to the big oil companies the day before he goes to talk to them in Houston,”