Republican presidential candidate Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., steps off his plane after arriving at Detroit Metro Airport Tuesday afternoon. McCain was in Michigan to tour Enrico Fermi Nuclear Plant in Newport, Mich. while on his campaign.
Energy was among the topics Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., discussed during his visit to Michigan Tuesday afternoon during which he toured a nuclear power plant in Monroe County.
“Solving our national energy crisis requires as I have mentioned an ‘all of the above’ approach and that will require aggressive development of alternative solutions like nuclear, solar, tide, and biofuels,” McCain said during the visit. “It also requires expanding traditional sources of energy such as offshore drilling.”
“The fact is, we have to drill here, and we have to drill now, and we have to drill immediately. And it has to be done as quickly as possible.”
McCain toured DTE Energy’s Fermi 2 plant with the plant’s chief executive officer, Anthony Earley Jr., promoting the building of new nuclear power plants.
The event was closed to the public, but DTE employees were able to interact with the Republican presidential candidate as he asked questions regarding the plant’s operation.
McCain’s visit comes one day after presumptive Democratic nominee Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., highlighted his national energy plan to a crowd of more than a thousand in Lansing.
“It’s time we got serious about energy independence,” McCain said.
During his visit, McCain criticized Obama’s statements on energy and discussed his desire to build 45 new nuclear power plants by 2030. This policy would create 700,000 new jobs for Americans, he said.
But McCain’s low-key visit, contrasting Obama’s attention-generating speech, may not necessarily have been a bad move, said Doug Roberts, director of the MSU Institute for Public Policy & Social Research.
“Senator McCain is running a much more reserved type of campaign,” he said. “It’s not inconsistent with the two (campaign) styles (the candidates) are running at the moment. Which one is the best, I guess that’ll be answered in November.”
The fact that Obama spoke about energy issues in Michigan just before McCain toured one of the state’s nuclear plants is not coincidence, Roberts said.
“Michigan and energy are connected,” he said. “Until we have alternative energy, Michigan’s automobile production is in big trouble.”
A July poll from Lansing-based polling firm EPIC-MRA reported 42 percent of the 600 Michigan residents polled thought Obama would do a better job dealing with gas prices and energy, compared to McCain’s 35 percent. There was a 4 percent margin of error.
Ben Morlock, chairman for the MSU College Republicans said he likes McCain’s focus on energy.
“I’m really proud to be a Republican when it comes to this issue,” Morlock said.
“I’m just happy to hear that he’s highlighting this important issue.”
McCain’s promotion of increasing domestic oil drilling is the right move for the country, he a dded.
But Georg Schuttler, president of MSU College Democrats, said because McCain’s support for coastal oil drilling wouldn’t produce oil for about seven years, it wouldn’t be a viable solution for providing immediate relief to citizens.
“His plan more or less postpones the problem that we’re facing, instead of providing change that we actually need in both the short term and in the long term,” he said.
John Austerberry, a DTE spokesman, said DTE was pleased to have the opportunity to discuss the opportunities and challenges facing the nuclear power industry.
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“We welcome his vision for expanding the nuclear power fleet,” he said.
“Nuclear power fleet has the potential to provide the nation with a domestic source of clean, reliable energy for future generations.”
Additionally, the Detroit Free Press reported Tuesday night that McCain is expected back in Michigan on Aug. 13 for fundraisers at the Big Rock Chophouse and Townsend Hotel in Birmingham.
McCain’s campaign wouldn’t confirm details of the visit Tuesday evening, the report said.
