In simplest terms, the two men leading the charge to become thenext president of the United States view the energy issue inopposite ways. Republican candidate George W. Bush sees the glassas half empty, and wants to replenish it with new supplies.Democratic challenger Al Gore sees the glass as half full, andwants to conserve and re-use it as much as possible.

Look inside the glass, though, and it’s a little murkier. Latelast week, the two candidates tried to offer a clearer idea of whattheir energy policies are, capitalizing on what has become theleading story of the day, and one that is relevant to both businessand consumers.

Charging that the Clinton-Gore administration has been “napping”while oil prices and electricity rates have escalated, Bush onFriday unveiled a 10-year domestic energy policy, that among otherthings, would open up about 8% of the Arctic National WildlifeRefuge, a 1.5 million acre area that probably contains about 10billion barrels of oil. Bush detailed his plan in Saginaw, MI,trading on his oil industry ties and calling for a $7.1 billionplan over 10 years that he says would increase the country’s energysources and reduce dependence on foreign sources. He also says theplan will protect the environment.

Gore, quick to criticize the plan on Friday, had forced Bush’shand after asking for and getting President Clinton last week torelease oil from the U.S.’s Strategic Petroleum Reserve to reduceexpected shortages of home heating oil this winter.

For the record, here’s a short course on the two candidates’energy platforms:

Bush proposed the following on Friday:

Gore, who was appearing Friday at the Audubon Naturalist Societyin Chevy Chase, MD, said he was opposed to drilling in the ANWR,and would “fight for all Americans, who deserve to have ourenvironment protected against those who would set the oil companiesloose in the most beautiful, fragile parts of our nation.” Inseveral speeches earlier this year, Gore has advocated thefollowing:

At a campaign stop in Pennsylvania recently, Gore also said thathis plans would “create millions of new jobs by getting out infront of the market for these new boilers and new furnaces and newcars and trucks and buses and revamped power plants and newtechnologies that help us to conserve more energy.”

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