Mitt Romney officially launched his bid to become president yesterday with an attack on President Obama's environmental and energy policies that openly mocked efforts to tackle climate change.
In a speech that was described by critics as "pedestrian" and "workmanlike", Romney secured some of the biggest applause of the night from the Republican Convention for contrasting his economic priorities with Obama's attempts to address environmental challenges.
"President Obama promised to begin to slow the rise of the oceans and heal the planet," he said, adding after a long pause: "My promise ... is to help you and your family."
In a wide-ranging speech that drew heavily on Romney's life history and made few policy pledges, the Republican candidate repeatedly criticised the Obama administration's economic and energy policies, accusing it of overseeing an increase in fuel prices and leading an "assault on coal and gas and oil", which "will send energy and manufacturing jobs to China".
In the one section of the speech focused on policy Romney again talked up his energy strategy, pledging that "by 2020, North America will be energy independent by taking full advantage of our oil and coal and gas and nuclear and renewables".
The reference to renewables could offer some succour to America's clean energy sector, but the detailed energy plan revealed last week confirms that Romney's strategy is focused almost entirely on increasing domestic fossil fuel production.
In contrast, the plan pledges to end policies that favour renewables while retaining tax breaks for the oil and gas industry, arguing that different energy sources should compete on a level playing field. Specifically, Romney has said he would allow a popular tax credit for wind farm developers to lapse at the end of the year รข€" a move that has already resulted in a slowdown in investment across the sector, according to industry groups.
Romney's speech marked the culmination of a convention that has seen repeated attacks on the green economy and the Obama administration's environmental policies.
In particular, the Republican Platform that was formally adopted this week vows to neuter the Environmental Protection Agency, open up vast areas of land for oil and gas drilling, roll back support for renewables and hints at the sale of all federal lands to private firms.
"Congress should reconsider whether parts of the federal government's enormous landholdings and control of water in the West could be better used for ranching, mining or forestry through private ownership," the document states. "The enduring truth is that people best protect what they own."
Romney's speech brought sharp criticism from President Obama's campaign manager Jim Messina, who accused the Republican challenger of providing no detail on his own policies.
"Much like the entire Republican Convention, Mitt Romney's speech tonight offered many personal attacks and gauzy platitudes, but no tangible ideas to move the country forward," he said.
"What he didn't share were his actual proposals, which would take our country backwards."
In a move that appeared designed to counter Romney's criticism, the Obama administration yesterday gave Shell preliminary permission to start work on a proposed well off the coast of Alaska.
US interior secretary Ken Salazar granted the preliminary permit for the project in the Chukchi Sea, but stressed that Shell would not be allowed to drill into any oil-bearing rocks until it had gained official approval for a barge that has been converted to capture oil in the event of a spill.
The final approval for the containment vessel could come within the next few days, paving the way for oil to be drilled from the well, despite protests from environmental campaigners who have warned that a spill in Arctic waters could prove almost impossible to clean up.
Salazar rejected suggestions from reporters that the permit award was designed to undermine Romney's criticism of the Obama administration's supports for the oil and gas industry, stressing that the move was simply part of the president's "all of the above" energy policy.
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