http://www.denverpost.com/politics/ci_10194734Battered on the energy issue for weeks, Democratic Senate candidate Rep. Mark Udall moved Wednesday to close the distance with his Republican opponent on the issue, calling for more domestic drilling and reversing his long-standing opposition to drilling off America's shores.
Both were sharp turnarounds for a man who has made the expansion of renewable energy a cornerstone of his career and who has consistently dinged the aggressive drilling policies of the Bush administration during this campaign.
But both Udall and his staff emphasized that the nation's energy crisis called for a sweeping rethinking of possible solutions — and that the country could no longer afford to keep much of anything off the table.
At a news conference Wednesday with Sen. Ken Salazar, D-Colo., Udall announced that he was embracing — with a few additions — a bipartisan proposal hatched recently in the Senate, one that he said would break the country's current energy policy "logjam."
The proposal by five Republicans and five Democrats (the so-called Gang of 10) would allow much more expansive offshore drilling but also creates a $20 billion program to shift 85 percent of cars from petroleum-based fuels within two decades.
New TV ad touts positionA new TV spot by the Udall campaign prominently features oil workers on a derrick and emphasizes the need for America to reach energy independence.
"On the way over, I was thinking I've been working for 12 years really for this moment, where we focus our attention, not as Democrats, not as Republicans, but as Americans, in creating a truly comprehensive (energy) proposal," Udall said, standing on the Capitol steps.-
"It's just too important not to get this right at this moment in our history."
Republicans quickly charged that Udall was a latecomer to the cause, essentially turning around a similar line the Boulder County Democrat has been using against his Republican opponent when he mentions renewable energy.
"He's doing this because he's losing on this issue and in Colorado," said Republican Senate candidate Bob Schaffer.
"This is a fig leaf," Schaffer said. "The fact of that matter is, what they describe as a compromise is really a disingenuous effort that continues to leave the majority of American energy off-limits."
Although Schaffer may have overstated his edge in the race — polls show the two either tied or Udall with a slim lead — the move on offshore drilling is essentially a concession by Udall that the energy issue has hurt his momentum.
It also falls in line with recent shifts by Democrats nationwide, as the party tries to neutralize what's turned out to be one of Republicans' strongest issues of the 2008 campaign.
Earlier this month, Sen. Barack Obama, the party's presumed presidential nominee, also said he would be willing to accept offshore drilling if it were part of a broader energy package that included tax incentives for alternative fuels and stripping oil companies of current tax breaks.
Environmental backlash?Udall and Salazar said they would present their own energy legislation or work with the "Gang of 10" in the Senate on the proposal they've already worked out.
Udall and Salazar want to add several other provisions, including a National Renewable Energy Standard, which would require that 20 percent of the nation's electricity come from renewable resources by 2020.
Udall's endorsement risks alienating some of his strongest allies among the environmental movement, many of whom have poured money into this campaign and who this week criticized not just the offshore drilling component of the compromise but also heavy new subsidies for controversial liquid-coal projects it contains.
"For us, it's really easy to say the Group of 10's proposal is a bad proposal and it should not be the starting point for any legislation," said Tony Massaro, vice president of the League of Conservation Voters, although he added that there was no litmus test for the group's support of any candidate, including offshore drilling.
