Among the five US political parties on general-election ballots in 10 or more states this year, the Green Party has by far the longest platform on energy and the environment. The Libertarian Party has the shortest. They are so-called third parties--different from the mainstream Democratic and Republican powerhouses that dominate media coverage and nearly always win.
This editorial series, after reviewing major-party energy platforms last week, turns now to what the Green, Libertarian, and Constitution parties say they believe about the subject. It does so because third-party prospects are unusually high. Because the Republican and Democratic presidential candidates are extraordinarily unpopular outside their support bases, disillusioned voters might seek refuge in third-party alternatives. If fatefully focused and located, the effect might siphon away enough electoral-college votes to keep either mainstream candidate from winning outright.
In this rambunctious political season, stranger things have happened.
Third-party platforms
The Green Party's energy policies reflect its assertion that climate change represents "the gravest environmental, social, and economic peril that humanity ever has met." Pursuing large cuts in emissions of greenhouse gases, the party proposes a "fee-and-dividend" system--essentially a carbon tax that fluctuates with the global concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. Imported oil and gas would pay double the fee. The Greens would eliminate "subsidies for fossil fuels," including much of the military budget, which they call "an indirect subsidy for oil and gas corporations."
The party would set mandates for "clean fuels," make the US pay for adaptations to climate change by countries deemed less responsible for the phenomenon, set aggressive energy-conservation targets, create a program "to train workers for the new, clean-energy economy," and in other ways pursue "the post-fossil fuel economy of 2050."
Governmental activism central to the Green energy platform appears nowhere in the Libertarian vision.
"Competitive free markets and property rights stimulate the technological innovations and behavioral changes required to protect our environment and ecosystems," the Libertarians declare. The "vested interest" of private landowners and conservation groups can be trusted to maintain natural resources. "Governments are unaccountable for damage done to our environment and have a terrible track record when it comes to environmental protection," the Libertarian platform says, rejecting subsidies for any energy form. "We oppose all government control of energy pricing, allocation, and production."
The Constitution Party, which says its goal is "to limit the federal government to its delegated, enumerated, constitutional functions," similarly upholds market freedom and private property rights. It wants to dismantle the Department of Energy. "The federal government should not interfere with the development of potential energy sources, including natural gas, hydroelectric power, solar energy, wind generators, and nuclear energy," it says.
The Constitution Party supports "realistic efforts to preserve the environment and reduce pollution--air, water, and land." But it rejects arguments based on the "perceived threat of global warming," which it says has been refuted by many scientists. "The globalists are using the global warming threat to gain more control via worldwide sustainable development," it says.
The party supports the use of eminent domain for public use such as military reservations and government buildings, but not for public ownership, such as urban renewal, environmental protection, and historic preservation. It calls for a return to states of lands held by the federal government without authorization of the Constitution, repeal of federal wetlands legislation, and repeal of the Endangered Species Act. It opposes US participation in many United Nations programs and in environmental treaties and conventions.
Fundamental differences
Energy platforms reviewed in this series are easy to summarize. Democrats and Greens predicate energy policy on apocalyptic beliefs about climate change and demand state-centered overhaul of energy economics. Republicans, Libertarians, and Constitution Party members worry less about climate change and resist manipulation of markets by the government.
The differences are fundamental and hugely consequential. Whether they matter enough to voters to affect elections remains far from certain.
