During a stop today in Boone, Democratic candidate Bill Richardson stressed his plan for making the nation less dependent on foreign oil.
Richardson, who is currently New Mexico’s governor, said New Mexico and California are in a race for energy independence.
"When I’m with Governor Schwarzenegger and he’s next to me, I say: ‘You win,’ because he’s a lot bigger (laughter), but when I’m not with him, you know, I think we’ve done a lot more in New Mexico," Richardson said, as the crowd of about 200 laughed.
As governor, Richardson signed a law that requires New Mexico utilities to get a more significant amount of their power from wind, solar and other "alternative" energy sources.
Richardson calls the new fuel efficiency standards for vehicles that Congress is proposing pathetically low. "Al Gore’s been right," Richardson said. "I just hope he stays out of the race."
Richardson has called for establishing a 50-mile-per-gallon requirement on American-made autos by 2020. He’s also calling on Detroit to get a "100 mile per gallon car" into the marketplace sooner rather than later.