The Strib has posted a chart called "Points of view: Energy," in which:
"The Star Tribune asked members of Minnesota's congressional delegation and congressional candidates a number of questions regarding energy policy."
It's interesting to go through the chart to compare and contrast the positions Southern Minnesota's three congressional candidates take on the laundry list of questions.
The three First District contenders agree that federal fuel taxes shouldn't be increased, Congress shouldn't reduce speed limits and that the government should increase the number of refineries. Nor do they favor a windfall profits tax.
One surprise area of agreement is on subsidies for "alternative" energy sources (we favor the term "renewable"); Walz, Day, and now suddenly Davis, all favor subsidies for wind, solar and biofuels. This marks a change for Davis, who has spoken out against subsidies for wind and biofuels in the past. In fact, on July 20, MPR reported:
Davis wants to cut subsidies for ethanol and wind.
We're curious about the time frame for Davis's answers, since the Strib chart is dated July 21. Was the Rochester Republican providing one answer to the Strib questionnaire and a different take to Minnesota Public Radio? Or where the questions simply worded differently?
The Strib apparently didn't ask about renewable energy standards and biofuel mandates. Walz and Day have voted for such measures on the federal and state level, respectively; Davis opposes them. Walz and Day also agree about increasing fuel efficiency standards; the chart shows Davis in opposition. Unless he has changed his stance on this issue as well, Davis actually favors eliminating fuel efficiency standards completely.
Walz and Day favor placing restrictions on speculation in oil markets; Davis does not. This is a distinctly minority position on the issue in Minnesota, with only the GOP candidates in the Fourth and Fifth districts joining Davis in simple opposition to the idea. Endorsed Third District GOP candidate Erick Paulsen and Seventh district DFL Collin Peterson gave answers that " added comments or otherwise qualified answer, a response that did not lend itself to a simple yes or no."
All of Paulsen's responses fell into that category; hopefully, he'll release his answers to the public, so voters in the Third will be able to gain a clearer view on where he stands. Congressman Walz also gave qualified answers to questions about deep-sea drilling and oil shale fields, so we hope he will do the same for those questions.
Walz parts company with both Republican primary opponents on drilling in ANWR, as well as subsidizing the nuclear power industry and so-called "clean coal" to liquid technology.
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