Kerry Energy Vows Provoke Praise and Protest.

Oil Daily, The, August, 2004

WASHINGTON -- US energy independence is the keystone of Democratic presidential nominee John Kerry's ambitious energy policy. That should come as no surprise since the candidate's political career is heavily marked by efforts to reduce oil consumption. But in his nearly two decades in the Senate, Kerry has also become synonymous with stalling oil and gas drilling in sensitive areas in the US, prompting his Republican rivals to dismiss his energy policy as ignoring reality.

"We value an America that controls its own destiny because it's finally and forever independent of Mideast oil," said Kerry in his speech accepting the Democratic nomination last week. Kerry outlined his plan to invest in new technologies, alternative fuels and the cars of the future. "I want an...