In Portsmouth yesterday, Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama laid out a detailed energy plan, which includes a cap-and-trade system for reducing greenhouse gas emissions, a $150 billion investment in climate-friendly technology, and higher standards to improve energy efficiency and reduce U.S. dependence on foreign oil.

"The question is not if a renewable energy economy will thrive in the future. It's where. And if we want that place to be the United States of America, we can't afford to wait any longer," Obama said. "Global warming is not a someday problem. It is now."

In his speech, delivered before about 75 local environmentalists and activists at Portsmouth Public Library, Obama criticized President Bush for denying global warming, calling him a "president who put more faith in the spin of a science fiction writer than the science facts of real experts." Obama also criticized "every single U.S. president since Richard Nixon" for promising energy independence but then "fall(ing) victim to the same Washington politics."

Obama touted his Senate record as proof that his tenure as president would be different. In the Senate, Obama has introduced bills, all of which are now in committee, that use tax credits or federal regulations to promote the use of alternative fuels, introduce more renewable biofuels and increase the use of alternative diesel fuels. He introduced bills, also in committee, that would raise fuel economy standards and offer incentives to automakers to develop more energy-efficient vehicles.

So far, Democratic candidates John Edwards, Bill Richardson and Chris Dodd have laid out comprehensive plans to reduce energy emissions, said Bruce Clendenning, projects director for Granite State Conservation Voters. "Today, Obama has entered the mix, and in some sense, his plan is more detailed," Clendenning said. "It has a lot to do with how you need to get there. He's talking about a way to find a marriage between venture capital and government that's not fleshed out by anyone else. He's bringing together public and private sectors."

A major feature of Obama's vision is a cap-and-trade plan that would reduce carbon emissions by 80 percent by 2050, with interim goals every 10 years. That figure is the same one advocated by all other Democratic candidates except Richardson, who would reduce emissions by 90 percent. According to data compiled by the League of Conservation Voters last month, the only Republican candidate who has set a target for reducing carbon emissions is John McCain, who wrote a bill that would reduce emissions 65 percent by 2050.

Under Obama's plan, a cap would be set that limits the total amount of carbon emissions allowed. The total would be divided into pollution allowances, which would all be auctioned off. Companies could then buy and sell the allowances. Some of the revenue from the auctions would be used toward developing clean energy and promoting energy efficiency. Other Democrats have promoted similar plans, although unlike Obama, most have said that some permits would be given away free.

Obama also said he would invest $150 billion over 10 years to develop clean energy, including corn ethanol and other advanced biofuels, such as cellulosic ethanol, which can be made from wood chips. He would invest $50 billion over five years in a new venture capital fund to bring clean energy technologies into the market through partnership between the public and private sectors.

Obama said the increased investment will allow the U.S. to set standards requiring 25 percent of all the country's electricity to come from renewable sources by 2025. That figure is lower than the standards set in Richardson's plan, equal to those set by Edwards and higher than the other Democrats, according to the League of Conservation Voters.

A third major component of the plan would be trying to make the country 50 percent more energy efficient by 2030 by updating building codes for efficiency, making federal buildings carbon neutral, offering efficiency incentives, updating the national utility grid and phasing out traditional incandescent light bulbs by 2014. The other Democrats have called for reducing energy consumption by 10 percent to 20 percent by 2020, but none has projected as aggressively as Obama.

Finally, Obama advocates working globally to address environmental issues - creating a new Global Energy Forum, made up of the world's largest pollution emitters, and exporting American technology to the developing world.

Previously, Obama was criticized by some environmentalists for advocating on behalf of federal subsidies for liquefied coal, used for transportation fuel, which would help the Illinois coal industry.

But yesterday, environmental activists heartily praised Obama's plan for its specificity and Obama's willingness to take an aggressive leadership role. Former Republican state representative Ted Leach, who co-chairs the Carbon Coalition, a New Hampshire environmental advocacy group, said, "He's setting some definitive timelines, which are good. American businesses will go with that because what it injects into the equation is certainty."

Leach said that Democrats have "dwarfed" Republicans on environmental issues, with the exception of Republican John McCain. "You still have Republican candidates who preface their remarks, 'if global warming is real,' " Leach said. "Democrats say, as Obama's done, something needs to be done, here's what."

Portsmouth City Councilor Ned Raynolds, who works on climate advocacy for the Union of Concerned Scientists and successfully advocated for the Portsmouth Public Library's design as a "green building," said Obama's speech persuaded him to support the candidate. "His plan is a long-overdue convergence of energy, economy, environmental and security policy that we've needed for a long time," Raynolds said. "This is the speech I've been waiting to hear from a presidential candidate for 10 years."

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