Energising the US

Democratic presidential nominee John Kerry has plans to require the US to generate20% of its electricity from renewable sources. But just how different are Kerry’sand President Bush’s stances on energy policy? By Paul Lyon

Richard Rosen, head of the energy group at Boston-based consultancy Tellus Institute, won’t be drawn into a debate about the relative merits of either Senator John Kerry’s or President Bush’s energy policies. “The only thing that matters is who wins the election and, to date, neither has really distinguished himself from the other in any extraordinary way when it comes to energy,” Rosen says.

Energy issues have indeed taken something of a back seat to other seemingly more important