The Charlie Brown campaign today released a "comprehensive energy plan to stimulate economy and reduce gas prices.

The plan has, according to the press release, six main points:

The Brown 6 Point Comprehensive Energy Plan:

1) A $100 billion "Apollo" project to move the Federal Government towards energy independence in the next seven years, jump-start the entire renewable energy market and economy in America, and to demonstrate to Oil Speculators and OPEC nations alike that America is committed to moving in a new energy direction.

2) The Federal Government should immediately open the strategic petroleum reserves to increase the supply of oil on the market and provide relief for American families from skyrocketing gas prices.

3) Build additional refineries to increase America's capacity to produce gasoline, and to reduce our dependence on imported gasoline.

4) Drill on the 80% of federal land that is leased for drilling but currently not being used as a means of further increasing traditional energy supply here in America.

5) Close tax loopholes for oil companies and use that $18 billion to increase and make permanent tax incentives for research and development in renewable energy so companies can have the financial incentive and certainty to plan and undertake the advanced research that will drive our new energy economy.

6) Increase the federal tax credit for consumers, business or personal, for investment in renewable energy products (such as solar panels for home energy or hybrid vehicles)

It's an interesting plan.  I certainly don't have a problem with items 3 and 4.  But how the refineries in #3 get built is not detailed.

The centerpiece of the plan, Item #1, is to use the market power of the federal government to create new markets and demand and investment in alternative energy.  An energy policy so dependent on government action smacks of the types of policies that put the government in the position of making major market decisions, and quite frankly, the government is not market savvy enough to make good decisions.  The effect of #1 is likely a massive increase in government costs borne by the taxpayers to buy vehicles, run office buildings, and the like.

The rest of the plan, and accompanying press release, is really just a series of poll tested slogans.  And if you take the time to read it, the verbal gymnastics are painful.

For example, most analysts attributed the recent drop in gas prices to the Bush Administration action ot remove the Executive Branch impediments to off shore oil drilling, and calling on Congress to eliminate their half of the problem.  But in Democrat politics today, GWB can do no right, so Charlie gives that credit to the Fed Chairman.

He gives credit to the Bush 41 Administration for tapping the strategic reserve...you know...the good Bush (not that he was goo in 1992). 

And the Bush 43 Administration is ok when an obscure report is quoted out of context to say that ANWR oil wouldn't lower gas prices that much.

And of course, there's the old "stop the tax loopholes for BIG OIL which is making record profits" canard from all Democrats, with no acknowledgment that the federal tax on gas is a bigger share than oil company profits, and no admission that "BIG OIL" invests more in alternative energy technology than anyone else.

Still, I do appreciate the effort from the Brown campaign to at least put out a plan.  A plan that, in my mind, shows Brown is, as I've said along, no moderate.  His plan relies too much on government trying to manipulate the market, and that, in any book, is a liberal.