As the 2016 presidential race begins to warm up it is time to take a look at the rest of the serious candidates and what each one might mean for energy policies and companies in the U.S. While a great deal can occur in the next month or two, the present leaders for the Republican Party are Mr . trump, Ted Cruz, and Marco Rubio. For that Democrats, the race will probably get down to a long brawl between Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders. Like a bonus, it is also worth taking a look at what Michael Bloomberg might do for energy if he enters the Presidential race and wins.
Donald Trump
Defying skeptics and the usual understanding Mr . trump appears to be a real possibility as the Republican Presidential nominee. Trump disappointed with a second place finish in Iowa’s caucuses, but he is succeeding in Nh and nationally within the polls. Should Trump win the nomination and so the election, chances are that oil and gas companies would obtain a big boost. Trump has actively discussed his interest in confronting OPEC and making the U.S. energy independent. He is a firm advocate for oil and its importance in the overall U.S. economy. A Trump presidency would certainly help investors in many conventional energy companies, especially if the Republicans retain charge of Congress as many are projecting.
Ted Cruz
Despite being a Republican, Cruz is probably not as favorably inclined towards energy companies as Trump or Rubio. Cruz is cited as opposing all energy subsidies including those for oil companies. As they has supported revoking offshore drilling moratoriums previously, it is very unclear at this time if that point could be relevant for energy companies because of the current price of oil. Cruz is really a supporter from the Keystone XL pipeline, however, and it has supported the vista that climatic change is really a natural phenomenon instead of manmade.
Macro Rubio
Rubio appears to be an advocate of conventional fossil fuels like Trump and Cruz. Particularly, Rubio is within favor of stopping the EPA’s clean Power Plan, which would likely help certain power companies tremendously and may provide a small boost to coal miners. Rubio as President would also considerably diminish the power of the EPA like a regulatory authority instead giving much more of a role to states and native governments. This could likely help many conventional energy companies.
Hillary Clinton
Hillary Clinton as president may likely continue many of the policies advocated by President barack obama. For example, Clinton continues to be cited as being against offshore oil drilling, from the Keystone XL pipeline, and against drilling within the Arctic.
In addition, Clinton supported the December 2015 Paris Climate Accord. All of this suggests she would be inclined towards new regulations that would harm utilities, conventional energy companies, and automakers. Like a staunch advocate of environmental policies, Clinton may likely take various actions to aid solar and wind power companies. With the recent passage of continuing subsidies for all those industries, it is unclear what additional concrete measures Clinton might take to help renewable energy companies, so a Clinton Presidency might have a muted effect on those firms. It might likely have a pronounced negative impact on all conventional energy firms.
Bernie Sanders
Sanders is arguably much more progressive than Hillary Clinton, so it’s likely he would adopt all the same policies as Clinton or Obama, and potentially put even greater restrictions on conventional wind turbine. While Obama’s proposed $10-per-barrel tax on oil won’t happen throughout his presidency, if Sanders would become president, it is possible circumstances could arise that will allow him to implement that tax, which obviously could be extremely damaging to grease companies. Sanders can also be in support of a tax on carbon emissions which may have far reaching impacts for numerous businesses across a variety of industries. Generally then, a Sanders presidency would likely be harmful for most major U.S. manufactures and companies.
Michael Bloomberg
If Michael Bloomberg does wind up entering the race and running for President it might certainly throw both political parties into turmoil. Should Bloomberg become President, it’s likely that he would represent a middle ground between anti-renewables policies from the Republicans and anti-conventional energy policies from the Democrats. Bloomberg has certainly shown support for climate initiatives and environmental concerns. The coal industry, however, wouldn’t be spared. Bloomberg has spent lots of money attempting to get rid of coal plants in the usa.
However, Bloomberg has additionally shown a steak of non-ideological pragmatism that includes being prepared to approve the Keystone XL pipeline under certain conditions. Considering that pragmatism and the reputation like a centrist, Bloomberg would likely possess a positive impact on both conventional energy companies and renewables firms alike.
By Michael McDonald Of Oilprice.com
