Election 101: Where the GOP candidates stand on energy and the environment

Energy and the environment are typically “back burner” issues in national elections, but both are huge this year for Republicans. From tarring President Obama’s administration with allegations of mismanagement and favoritism for pushing renewable-energy and a “green jobs” agenda, to lambasting “job-killing” environmental regulations, GOP candidates have embraced both energy and environmental issues with gusto. Take a look at where each of them stands.

- Mark Clayton, Staff writer

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Republican presidential candidate Rick Santorum speaks at the Republican Jewish Coalition (RJC) 2012 Republican Presidential Candidates Forum in Washington December 7, 2011. (Molly Reiley)

5. Rick Santorum

Energy, fossil fuels

Calls for an “all of the above” energy policy utilizing oil, natural gas, and coal.

Energy, alternatives

Wants to “put aside our dreams of ‘green jobs’ ” and focus on the “great domestic resources at our disposal.” Would push for nuclear energy, eliminate all agriculture and energy subsidies within four years, and cut subsidies for solar, wind, and other renewable energy sources. Supports ethanol requirement for gasoline. Received straight- ‘A’s’ from Iowa corn growers.

Climate change

Calls climate change “a beautifully concocted scheme” that is “just an excuse for more government control of your life.”

Environmental regulations

Would eliminate resources for “job-killing radical regulatory approaches” at the EPA, repeal Obama-era EPA regulations, and “refocus its mission on safe and clean water and air and commonsense conservation.”