McCain Calls His Energy Plan ‘The Lexington Project’

John McCain, who has been laying out his energy proposals over the past week, is now referring to his plans as “The Lexington Project.”

The project, aimed at reducing the country’s independence on foreign oil, includes his calls for more nuclear power plants, a $300 million prize to the developer of an innovative car battery, more offshore oil drilling, and mandatory caps on greenhouse gas emissions.

Here’s the part of his speech Wednesday in which he first mentions The Lexington Project:

In recent days I have set before the American people an energy plan, the Lexington Project — named for the town where Americans asserted their independence once before. And let it begin today with this commitment: In a world of hostile and unstable suppliers of oil, this nation will achieve strategic independence by 2025.

This pledge is addressed to all concerned — to those abroad whose power flows from an accident of geology, and to you, my fellow Americans, whose strength proceeds from unity of purpose. Together, we will break the power of OPEC over the United States. And never again will we leave our vital interests at the mercy of any foreign power.

Some will say this goal is unattainable within that relatively short span of years — it’s too hard and we need more time. Let me remind them that in the space of half that time — about eight years — this nation conceived and carried out a plan to take three Americans to the Moon and bring them safely home. In less than a third of that time, the gathered energies of my father’s generation built the industrial might that overcame Nazi Germany and imperial Japan. That is the scale of our achievement when we set our minds to a task. That is what this country can do when we see a danger, and declare a purpose, and find the will to act.