The Candidate

Mike Huckabee is a former three-term Governor of Arkansas who ended his last term as Governor in January of 2007. Governor Huckabee is also the author of several books including From Hope to Higher Ground: 12 Stops to Restoring America’s Greatness. Most recently he has established himself as the front runner for the Republican nomination for President by winning the 2008 Iowa Caucus.

The Position

Governor Huckabee makes the following statements on the Energy Independence issue page on his official website.

“The first thing I will do as President is send Congress my comprehensive plan for energy independence.”

“We have to explore, we have to conserve, and we have to pursue all avenues of alternative energy: nuclear, wind, solar, hydrogen, clean coal, biodiesel, and biomass.”

“We will set aside a federal research and development budget that will be matched by the private sector to seek the best new products in alternative fuels.”

“Our free market will sort out what makes the most sense economically and will reward consumer preferences.”

Our Take

Governor Huckabee makes strong statements on the subject of energy independence. Like the other Republican candidates Mr. Huckabee does not provide a detailed plan. He takes care to mention all possible alternatives, which certainly makes sense since we can’t expect that the future of clean energy will rely on one or two technologies.

At this point in the game I don’t think that any President can afford not to have a strong clean energy policy. The question we have to ask is this one. What route will each candidate take to help the U.S. get to our clean energy future. It is encouraging that Mr. Huckabee plans to share resources with the private sector allow the “free market” to sort out the technologies and fuel sources that makes the most sense. A rigid mindset that relies on the government, funded solely by tax payer dollars and punitive corporate levies, will lead to inefficient federal programs and slow clean energy innovation.