U.S. Republican presidential hopeful John McCain has outlined his
latest proposals to fight global warming and reduce American dependence
on foreign oil.
In a town hall meeting Monday in Fresno,
California, Senator McCain called on auto manufacturers to speed up the
process of converting engines to use alcohol-based fuels. He proposed
a $5,000 tax credit for each consumer who buys a zero-emissions car,
and higher fines for automakers who evade existing fuel-efficiency
standards.
Questioned by an audience member about nuclear power,
he said the United States has to have it in order to reduce greenhouse
gases.
On Sunday, Obama proposed a clampdown on energy speculation, which he
says is largely responsible for record-high oil prices. His proposal
would close a legal provision that exempts energy commodities from
government oversight.
Obama's proposal would close a legal provision that exempts energy commodities from government oversight.
Critics
say the deregulation measure, signed in 2000 by then-President Bill
Clinton, opened the way to uncontrolled speculation in the oil markets.
The
high price of gasoline in the United States is a prominent campaign
issue. McCain wants Congress to lift a ban on offshore oil drilling to
help ease the costs, while Obama says such a measure would not help the
problem in the short term.
Some information for this report was provided by AP and Reuters.
