Romney’s Advisers
As I’ve posted earlier, Romney’s website is staunchly anti-regulatory and pro-fossil fuel. That’s also the position of his foremost energy advisrr, Harold Hamm. Hamm is the 66-year-old founder, chairman and chief executive officer of Continental Resources Inc. (CLR). CLR is an oil producer which is leading the charge for fracking. Not surprisingly, Hamm loves “Mitt’s goal of cheap, plentiful energy for the American economy.” Also not surprisingly, Hamm is a big fan of tax breaks for oil companies.
Still, some conservatives are uneasy. Romney’s environmental advisers include environmentally oriented folks from the Bush Administration, some of whom think climate change is a serious problem. For instance, Jim Connaughton from Bush’s Council on Environmental Quality, who is thought to be a candidate to head EPA under Romney, advocated cap-and-trade legislation for carbon dioxide. In addition, some of Romney’s economic advisers like Greg Mankiw and Jim Talent, favor regulation of greenhouse gases. And as Ann Carlson posted here last week, Romney’s adviser Linda Stuntz suggested that he would be willing to engage in climate change negotiations.
Romney’s personal views about energy and the environment — if he has any — remain something of a mystery. Still, if I were a conservative, I wouldn’t be too worried. He’s shown that he’s willing to do whatever it takes to get their support.
