The Election

Barack Obama is to be the 44th President of the United States. Obama won the majority of the popular vote and the majority of the electoral college by a landslide. It seems that the majority of Americans are looking for change in the way this country is governed and can identify with what Obama is saying and what he represents. While the economy is the main concern of most Americans, energy security and independence were important topics of both candidates' campaigns.

McCain's energy policies would likely not have been as environmentally friendly or as progressive as Obama's. Both candidates had some similarities in their policies, but overall Obama is more concerned with finding alternative sources of energy and decreasing emissions by a greater amount. McCain's reluctance to promise to provide a greater cap on industrial emissions was probably because he was hesitant to anger big business interests. McCain seemed to be following the standard Republican policies and his support of President Bush's policies on energy and the environment certainly did not help him garner support from the American people.

Four, or even eight years is not going to be enough time for Obama to completely turn the country in the right direction, but it will be a start. Hopefully, Obama will be able to make some positive changes in environmental and energy policy. There is environmental damage that needs repair and we need to institute preventative measures to keep from further damaging the planet. Energy policy needs to be environmentally friendly, but economically viable as well. Obama's win means hope and the opportunity for positive change for the United States.

Fiona Bowie