The Wisconsin Republican has been an outspoken critic
of President Barack Obama’s clean energy agenda, offering a fiscal plan
earlier this year that neatly mirrors the GOP’s policy priorities.
The plan would expand oil and gas drilling, limit the reach of the EPA
and kill the Energy Department’s clean energy loan program.
The plan even earned a high-profile rebuke from Obama, something that
many Republicans would wear as a badge of honor. “If some politicians
had their way, there won’t be any more public investment in solar
energy,” the president said during a March speech at a solar plant in Colorado.Ryan has rarely broken with his party on energy issues, a part of his resume that is probably a big bonus for Romney, who has come under fire for his position on climate change while governor of Massachusetts.
The Romney campaign is hoping that Ryan’s energy record, coupled with his image as a staunch fiscal conservative, will be a huge asset for the campaign as it approaches the final stretch of the election.
But the Obama campaign, along with its allies in the environmental community, is betting that Ryan will be a big liability, especially in key states like Colorado and Iowa, where there is a great deal of support for renewable energy.
“In picking Paul Ryan, Gov. Romney really doubled down on his approach to favoring oil companies over clean energy,” said Navin Nayak, senior vice president for campaigns at the League of Conservation Voters.
Having Ryan on the ticket has “sharpened the contrast even further” between Obama and Romney, Nayak said.
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