Awhile back, I wrote to Senator Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton, and John McCain, and posted a copy of that letter here. And Senator Obama replied. Here is what he had to say.

"Thank you for writing to me with your concern over our nation’s energy independence. I appreciate hearing from you.

The energy debate before Congress underscores the challenge of how best to promote our energy independence and safeguard the climate future of this planet. There are no perfect answers, and there is no one solution. No single fuel or feedstock offers the ideal combination of affordability, reliability, transportability, and sensitivity to the environment. But our current course -- maintaining our dependency on an unstable region of the world for the petroleum we cannot live without, and maintaining a heavy reliance on a carbon-intensive economy -- is simply not sustainable.

As you may know, on December 19, 2007, the President signed a comprehensive energy law. While this legislation takes positive steps toward energy independence and increasing our consumption of renewable fuels, I am disappointed that it did not go further. The bill signed by the President included a 40% increase in the fuel economy standard to 35 miles per gallon by 2030. This is the largest single increase since the government began mandating fuel standards. The bill also set new standards for energy efficiency in federal buildings and a timetable for phasing out traditional incandescent light bulbs, to be replaced by more energy efficient bulbs. The bill also requires the addition of 36 billion gallons of renewable biofuels into the gasoline supply by 2020. Overall, the bill is expected to have the effect of reducing American oil consumption by 1.1 million barrels per day, or the equivalent of taking 28 million cars of the roads.

Unfortunately, provisions included in earlier House and Senate versions of the bill did not survive Republican filibusters and veto threats from the President. The original version of the bill included a provision to cut $13 billion in tax breaks for oil companies. It also included $21.8 billion in renewable energy tax incentives, as well as a requirement that utilities generate 15% of their electricity from renewable sources like wind and solar power by 2020.

Increasing fuel standards and the consumption of renewable energy are positive steps, but we can and must do more to decrease our dependence on oil and reduce carbon lifecycle greenhouse gas emissions.

I look forward to our continued work together toward a more sensible energy future. Again, thank you for writing.

Sincerely,

Barack Obama"