Sarah Palin on Environment and Energy

Governor Sarah Palin (R-AK), right, is a hunter, fisherwoman, staunch religious conservative, wife, mother of five, and opposes abortion. She is quite a woman and now she is Senator John McCain's pick for vice president. Governor Palin is pretty standard for a Republican on environmental and energy issues. She was the Ethics Commissioner of the Alaska Gas and Oil Conservation Commission from 2003 to 2004. Palin passed into law a signature bill, called the Alaska Gasline Inducement Act, which dictates the way that the state accepted bids for its North Slope natural gas reserves.

Her husband is a commercial fisherman, a seasonal oil production operator for BP on Alaska's North Slope and a member of the United Steelworkers Union. Yet this has not kept her from confronting Exxon Mobil, BP and ConocoPhillips. She pushed new oil taxes through the Alaska Legislature in 2006, which was strongly opposed by Exxon Mobil, BP PLC and ConocoPhillips. The new tax brought in an estimated $6 billion pushin Alaska's treasury to a surplus estimated at $9 billion. Palin then passed an initiative that gave each Alaskan $1,200 to help them cope with high energy costs.

She's does not think humans are the cause of climate change but she will adjust this to match Senator McCain's leadership in Congress in promoting global warming mitigation. She has given the global warming serious consideration though by setting up an executive branch global waming office. On September 14, 2007, she signed Administrative Order 238, establishing the Climate Change Sub-Cabinet. The sub-cabinet is working to consolidate the state's knowledge about climate change in order to recommend policies and measures to guide the state's mitigation and adaptation efforts. She supports nuclear power, which makes her good on the global warming issue from a technological standpoint. There are no nuclear plants in Alaska, but McCain has the largest nuclear plant in the United States in Arizona (Palo Verde).

Some of Governor Palin's other positions:

Palin is a proponent of a natural gas pipeline from Alaska's North Slope.

Palin supports mining in Bristol, which may disrupt salmon, bears, and caribou.

Advocate for more drilling — off Alaska coast and off the Atlantic and Pacific coasts

Sued the Bush administration for listing polar bears as an endangered species

Wants to open the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to drilling

Palin recently proposed eliminating Alaska's gas tax

Opposes a national windfall profits tax on oil companies.

Said 'NO' to the bridge to nowhere proposed for Alaska.

[Comparison to Obama and McCain]