Hillary promises the earth on campaign trail

Greenbang’s getting rather excited about this year’s US presidential election. Normally, choosing between presidential candidates is no different to choosing between different washing powders. They all look the same and do the same thing, its just that one has nicer packaging than the other.

In the electoral spirit, Greenbang has been taking a magical mystery tour through Hillary’s election pledges to see if she has plans other than to ‘spread democracy’ to the darkest corners of the globe. Greenbang’s bloody relieved to see she does.

In fact, it would seem Hilary’s got out her carbon footprint calculator, punched in some numbers, and rather than turning it upside and showing everyone she’s spelt ‘BOOBLESS’, she’s come up with a few ideas, If we take her word for it, she will set the US of on a course of action to cut greenhouse gas emissions by 80 percent of 1990 levels by 2050 and significantly cut oil imports by 2030 by using more renewables.

How will she achieve this? Well, she’s promising to invest $150 billion in research, development and deployment of clean energy over the next decade. This will feed into a whole stack load of nationwide and state specific programmes, ranging from improving home energy efficiency to greening public transport. There’s nothing her green wand won’t zap, so to speak.

She’s been giving it all that about the environment on her recent visits to Oregon and Montana. Here’s what she’s promised for those places:

A new incentive program to help farmers and ranchers in Montana and across the country pay for up to 50 percent of the cost to install on-farm energy technology, such as windmills, solar panels, and biodiesel oilseed presses.

A permanent renewable production tax credit and new consumer tax incentives to support Montana’s burgeoning wind-power sector.

A “Green Building Fund” that will create more than 100,000 new jobs, and provide $5 million annually to fund Montana initiatives.

Immediate funding for 10 large scale carbon capture and storage projects to help pioneer new clean-technologies for coal states like Montana.

A permanent renewable production tax credit and new consumer tax incentives to support Oregon’s cutting edge wind-power sector.

A Green Building Fund to help Oregon continue its first-in-the-nation status on certified green buildings per capita.

A Made Green in America Fund that would provide Oregon with at least $6.5 million per year to invest in clean energy technology manufacturing.

Green transportation investments to help support light rail projects like the MAX in Portland.