Now that Barack Obama has claimed presidential victory, you may be wondering, What does this mean for me? Here is a summary of some of the things on his campaign agenda that, if fulfilled, may directly affect the EHS manager in the next 4 years.

Cap-and-trade. Obama supports a cap-and-trade policy for greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. His program calls for a GHG emissions reduction of 80 percent by 2050.

Tax on oil companies. Obama proposes to enforce a windfall profits tax on oil companies and use the funds to pay for energy rebates for American families.

Oil and gas Leases. Obama's website points out that U.S. oil companies currently hold leases to 68 million acres that are not being drilled, 40 million of which are offshore in nonprotected areas. He proposes a "use it or lose it" policy on these current licenses.

Nuclear power. Obama won't promote a rapid expansion of nuclear plants in the United States until the questions of security and of safe disposal of nuclear wastes are resolved. He does not think that Yucca Mountain is a suitable site for nuclear waste disposal.

Clean coal. Obama supports "public private partnerships" to develop new coal-fired power plants that capture carbon.

Carbon sequestration. Obama supports the use of the technique of enhanced oil recovery (EOR) to extract remaining oil in existing oil fields. Carbon dioxide that is used in this EOR process can then be sequestered underground, reducing the amount of GHGs released into the atmosphere.

Fuel standards. Obama wants to establish a National Low Carbon Fuel Standard that will reduce carbon levels in fuel. He also supports phasing advanced biofuels into the current fuel supply by 2030.

Green jobs. Obama proposes to create 5 million "green collar jobs" by investing in alternative energy. Part of this would be a "Green Vet Initiative" to train and offer job placement services to veterans to work in the clean technology sector. There would also be incentives to help small- and medium-sized manufacturers produce innovative new clean energy technologies.

We all knew that the new administration would bring many changes. But now that we also have Congress run by the same political party, new environmental legislation is almost a sure thing. BLR will be tracking issues to keep you up-to-date and prepared. Stay tuned ...