Democratic presidential contender Barack Obama
acknowledged Sunday that Americans would pay higher costs for electricity if his
environmental program to vastly reduce greenhouse gas emissions is
successful.
Speaking to about 200 people at Des Moines' downtown library
to discuss the relationship of faith and environmental stewardship, the senator
from Illinois said his proposals to temper the effects of global warming include
a cap on carbon emissions to effect greenhouse gas reductions of 80 percent by
2050.
"On the front end at least,
when you set up a cap, that is going to increase the costs, the production costs
of electricity, for these companies. What will they do? They are going to pass
them on to you," Obama said. "And so, I hope everybody understands, if we are
serious about dealing with global warming, there is going to be a spike in the
unit costs of electricity."
Obama said his acknowledgment was
representative of one theme of his campaign, that "I can't just tell people what
they want to hear."
The Democratic contender said some proceeds from an
emission credit auction system among polluters would be used to subsidize
electric bills for people who are "most vulnerable" to price
increases.
"Now, technology I believe, will adapt in such a way that
those electricity bills go back down as the technology gets absorbed. But at
least on the front end, there's going to be some costs and we can't pretend like
there's a free lunch," he said.
The other major Democratic candidates
also have proposed so-called cap-and-trade plans for carbon emissions, but the
Obama campaign contends it is the only one being honest about the upfront costs
to consumers.
Although Obama said his plan would take $150 billion in
auction proceeds for investment in renewable energy over a 10-year period, he
did not rule out continuing efforts on so-called clean-coal
technology.
"If we just say, 'Sorry, no coal,' we will lose that fight
politically and we will hamper ourselves from potentially dealing with a
legitimate energy resource if we have very clear standards about its use," Obama
said, noting vast coal reserves exist in Illinois and the rest of the nation as
well as in China, and new technology should be shared.
Obama also said
raised living standards in developing nations would be the best way to control
the world's population growth. He said another key to reducing population growth
rates is to provide women with more education.
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