Update: Mitt Romney dropped out of the presidential race on Feb. 7, 2008.

Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney isn't convinced humans are a big contributor to climate change, but he supports efforts that would cut greenhouse-gas emissions while pushing America toward energy independence. As governor of Massachusetts from January 2003 to January 2007, he got off to a promising start on a green issues, but then repeatedly angered the state's environmental community [PDF].

Key Points

• Acknowledges that climate change seems to be happening, but says it's unclear how much humans have contributed to the problem. Calls for policies that would boost energy independence and, as a byproduct, cut greenhouse-gas emissions.
  
  
• Says any international climate treaty would have to see all nations cutting emissions, unlike the Kyoto Protocol.
  
  
• Supports coal-to-liquid technology and calls it "clean." Ditto with coal gasification.
  
  
• Supports expansion of nuclear power.
  
  
• Supports increased oil drilling offshore in U.S. waters.
  
  
• Supports oil drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.
  
  
• Calls for more ethanol, biodiesel, and other biofuels.
  
  
• Calls for more energy efficiency and conservation.
  
  

Video & Audio

Watch Romney talk about energy independence and climate change on CNBC on Feb. 8, 2007:

Watch Romney answer a question about mandatory caps on carbon emissions at a town hall meeting in Iowa on May 31, 2007:

Quotable Quotes

• "We're sure going to have to find a way to reduce our use of energy, particularly foreign energy. There are a lot of people who are concerned about global warming. I think we're probably experiencing a change in our climate. Human activity may well be contributing to it. I think it probably is. What I don't know is how much of the change is due to human activity, and what actions we could take to change the trajectory of ... the global climate changes we're seeing. And that's why I adopt what I call 'no regrets' policies, policies that will allow us to become energy independent, and will have as one of their byproducts a reduction of the CO2 that we emit, the greenhouse gases that we emit."
  
  -- May 31, 2007, at a town hall meeting Iowa
  
  
• "We will end our strategic vulnerability to an oil shut-off by nations like Iran, Russia, and Venezuela. We will stop sending $1 billion a day to other nations, some of whom are using that same money against us. And we will rein in our emissions of greenhouse gases at the same time."
  
  -- April 10, 2007, in a speech at the George Bush Presidential Library Center
  
  
• "We're using too much oil. We have an answer. We can use alternative sources of energy -- biodiesel, ethanol, nuclear power -- and we can drill for more oil here. We can be more energy independent and we can be far more efficient in the use of that energy."
  
  -- on the Romney campaign website
  
  

Platform & Record In-Depth

• Calls for a more fuel-efficient vehicle fleet, but shies away from talk of increasing the corporate average fuel economy (CAFE) standards, saying he would want to explore other ways to improve fuel economy. Has said he opposes raising CAFE standards on their own outside of a broader energy plan, and has called for other steps like promoting ethanol, biodiesel, and hybrids.
  
  
• Opposes oil drilling in the Florida Everglades. (And you didn't even know that was an issue!)
  
  
• Opposed the Cape Wind offshore wind farm, proposed for Nantucket Sound off Cape Cod in Massachusetts.
  
  
• As governor of Massachusetts, laid out a plan in August 2006 to require state buildings to increase their energy efficiency and state vehicles to use more biofuels.
  
  
• In 2006, signed a law in Massachusetts that phases out some mercury-containing products that have alternatives, such as thermostats and electrical switches. It also requires manufacturers to set up collection programs for products containing mercury.
  
  
• In 2005, abruptly pulled Massachusetts out of the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative, a pact between Northeastern states that calls for emissions cuts, even though his administration had spent more than two years helping to shape the deal. (Romney's successor, Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick [D], reversed that decision and had the state join RGGI.)
  
  
• In 2004, unveiled a Massachusetts plan [PDF] to fight climate change, even while saying he wasn't sure global warming was happening.
  
  

Still Haven't Gotten Enough?

• Read Romney's brief statement on energy policy on his campaign website.
  
  
• Read Romney's official bio.
  
  

What did we miss? Tell us below in comments. We'll update this page as the presidential campaign continues.

Todd Hymas Samkara and Kate Sheppard contributed to this fact sheet.

• Comments