Opinion: GOP goes green-ish, kind of

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With energy (and specifically gas prices) playing such a big role in the presidential campaign, it’s not surprising that a good chunk of the recently unveiled Republican Party platform is devoted to energy policy. And while most of the platform’s directives are, as usual, a pu-pu platter of dripping red meat served up for the party’s conservative base, there are signs that the threat of manmade climate change is starting to resonate even in the red states.

It’s tempting to mock the GOP conception of going green. The platform is loaded with such howlers as, ‘In the long run, American production should move to zero-emission sources, and our nation’s fossil fuel resources are the bridge to that emissions-free future;’ or, ‘No strategy for reducing energy costs will be viable without a commitment to continued coal production and utilization;’ or, my personal favorite, this masterpiece of obfuscation, ‘In caring for the land and water, private ownership has been the best guarantee of conscientious stewardship.’

But that’s all pretty old hat. What should warm the hearts of environmentalists is that the GOP, whose congressional representatives have stridently fought against improved vehicle efficiency standards for the last two decades, now backs new technologies like lightweight composites that could dramatically improve mileage. The platform takes the courageous step of calling for an end to ethanol mandates, while saying we should hasten development of less-destructive alternative fuels like cellulosic ethanol. It calls for more energy-efficient buildings and appliances and backs ‘alternative’ energy sources. That second part isn’t quite as green as it sounds; the difference between ‘alternative’ and ‘renewable’ energy is that the former includes hydropower, which means damming more rivers, with all the environmental damage that entails. But the party is also getting energized by solar, wind and geothermal power and backs long-term tax credits to encourage them. That’s progress.

* Photo by Al Grillo / AP