Gore: Romney makes me fear future of US environmental policies

Al Gore has qualms about President Obama’s climate record but says a Mitt Romney victory would make him “fear for the future of our environmental policy.”

Gore talks about the presidential contenders in a newly posted interview with the advocacy website TakePart.com.

“If the Romney-Ryan ticket were to win … I would fear for the future of our environmental policy because they have made statements that are just completely at odds with the facts, and they seem to be really in lockstep with the large carbon polluters,” Gore said in the interview, which was taped Aug. 21 but released Tuesday.

{mosads}“Just based on their public statements I would be very concerned about what they do,” he added.

Romney’s platform includes nullifying the Environmental Protection Agency’s power to regulate greenhouse gases, a major expansion of oil, gas and coal development and approval of the Keystone XL oil sands pipeline. 

Gore said he’s sympathetic to criticisms of Obama’s commitment to battling global warming (Gore has launched attacks himself), but says the president deserves lots of credit, too.

“When I hear criticisms of [Obama] not doing enough on climate, I certainly understand what the basis of those criticisms [is],” Gore said. “But I always add, you know, he came up with a green stimulus that actually did get a lot more activity in solar and wind and energy efficiency.”

The 2009 stimulus law contained tens of billions of dollars for green energy and transportation programs, home efficiency upgrades, “smart grid” projects, tax credits for manufacturing green energy-related equipment, loan guarantees and grants for renewable manufacturing and power projects and other efforts.

Gore also praised the administration’s increases in auto mileage standards and proposed rules creating first-time national carbon emissions standards for new power plants.

“Yes, there are things that you can pick out where [Obama] certainly could have done more, but look at the opposition he has faced, and look at the lockstep rejection of any progress on climate on the part of his opponents,” Gore said.