Taylor Shelton at Red, Green, & Blue [1] has a good post up on Mark's forward thinking vision for energy policy in Alaska and America.

Despite the cloud of corruption surrounding Stevens and his perpetual pitch on ANWR drilling, Begich won’t be an escape route for those who oppose expanded domestic drilling. Begich has long supported efforts to drill in ANWR and other protected areas – not exactly the most environmentally conscious of policy proposals. This, however, may be the only common ground that Begich and Stevens hold, especially on energy and environmental policy.

Despite his stance on ANWR, Begich has a record for promoting sustainability as the mayor of Anchorage – and it appears that his energy plan as a senator would be no different. His proposal to reduce energy consumption 25% by 2018 and have a nationwide portfolio of 25% renewable sources by 2025 is definitively practical – but it also represents the bold stance that many in the Senate, especially Stevens, have refused to take on reducing carbon emissions in the US (see Begich’s energy plan here and here). So while Begich may not be the anti-drilling voice that progressive Democrats and environmental voters are looking for, he has shown himself to be incredibly aware of the problem of global warming and the solutions available to mitigating it.