‘Meet the Press’ transcript for May 27, 2007

You were secretary of energy.  This is the way The Washington Post described your tenure:  “On Richardson’s watch at the Department of Energy, there were allegations that nuclear secrets from Los Alamos National Laboratory had turned up in China.  Richardson was roundly criticized in Congress for his handling of the alleged breach, for the botched case against Taiwan-born Los Alamos scientist Wen Ho Lee, and for lax security at the country’s national labs.  It killed his chance of becoming Al Gore’s running mate in 2000.” Do you agree with that?

GOV. RICHARDSON:  Well, it’s probably true.  But I believe I had a good record as secretary of energy.  I got, for instance, energy efficiency in appliances.  For example, air conditioning is 30 percent more energy efficient because of a—an initiative that I took.  I helped with oil prices around the world by traveling to OPEC countries.  I believe also we had significant advances in our nuclear proliferation initiatives with Russia and loose nuclear weapons.  And lastly, I’m very proud of this, what I did, Tim.  A lot of our nuclear workers, for years, had not gotten compensation for some of their medical cases because they were performing work in some of our nuclear weapons complexes.  I pushed through the Congress an initiative that I started with some DOE officials to compensate those nuclear workers.

Of course, yeah—we—I had a stormy tenure.  We had some issues with the nuclear secrets issues and Wen Ho Lee.  But I think on the whole I was a good energy secretary.

MR. RUSSERT:  But this comment that you made in 1999, “I can assure the American people that their nuclear secrets are now safe at the labs.” The—President Clinton’s foreign intelligence advisory board, fellow members of your administration, said you should not have said that, it just wasn’t true.

GOV. RICHARDSON:  That is correct, Tim.  There were problems, and there have been ongoing problems, too, with nuclear secrets at the national laboratories. But I took action.  I increased funding for cybersecurity.  I ordered polygraph tests for some of the employees.  It was very unpopular.  We also appointed a security czar to deal with the problem.  But the reality of those nuclear secrets, a week later after they were misplaced, or sometime later, they were found behind a copy machine.  But there are still serious ongoing problems that need to be addressed.

MR. RUSSERT:  And you should not have said that.

GOV. RICHARDSON:  I should not have said that.  But I believe with the actions I took, I believe with the work of the FBI and the labs—I mean, I ordered very intensive actions that, that we had secured significantly some of those secrets.

MR. RUSSERT:  You have put a very comprehensive energy plan on your Web site. You say you want to be the energy president.  One thing that caught my interest was that nuclear power should be part of the mix.  You’re in favor of nuclear power?

GOV. RICHARDSON:  I believe it should be part of the mix.  I’m not—I think the future for Americans’ energy independence, and there I believe we need an Apollo program.  And I believe I’m the greenest governor in this country.

MR. RUSSERT:  What would you do with the nuclear waste?

GOV. RICHARDSON:  Well, what I would do, Tim, is I would—technology I think is the answer.  I would not put it in Yucca Mountain, because when I was secretary it was obvious that it had environmental problems.  It had water problems, there were issues relating to transporting that waste to Nevada.  I don’t believe there’s another solution that has been advanced, and that is to store some of the waste at existing sites or in regional sites.  I believe the answer is technology.  What I would do is get our national laboratories to come up with a technological solution to dispose of this waste.

MR. RUSSERT:  You also say that you would have fuel standards for automobiles to 50 miles per gallon in 2020.  The automobile industry, Standard & Poor’s, has now weighed in, saying that you could—that would increase the cost of a car or truck in this country by $6,000.  The Detroit News editorialized that real possibility you could bankrupt the American automobile industry with that proposal.

GOV. RICHARDSON:  That’s wrong.  We must do it.  We must become energy independent because it affects our national security.  It affects—gasoline prices, this morning I saw the average around the country, $3.23.  We must have fuel standards, and I believe it’s realistic with a 100 mile-per-gallon flex-fuel vehicle, great technology that we can develop.  Also requiring that, by that same year, Tim, that 30 percent of America’s electricity be renewable energy.  We have got to address global climate change by 2020, a reduction of 20 percent greenhouse gas emissions, mandatory cap and trade system.

Look, Tim, you know, here in Washington, all you hear about is this is not possible, it won’t pass the Congress.  We must do it.  I would lead an Apollo program like John F. Kennedy did—and I’m no John F. Kennedy—that—like when he went to the moon in 10 years, I believe we can reduce our dependence on foreign oil—which is imported oil, which is 65 percent, that is dangerous, countries that are not friendly to us—to 10 percent, with massive public and private investment in renewable technologies, in solar, wind, biomass, fuel cells, distributed generation, renewable fuels, ethanol, biodiesel, biofuels, investments, tax incentives, and conservation.  I would ask the American people—you know, I’m going to say a word that may not be very popular—to sacrifice a little bit for the common good, to be greener in their way of life—lighting, appliances, air conditioning, when it comes to washing machines, driving efficient vehicles.

But back to your vehicles issue, Tim.  We have the technology to have fuel efficient engines.  We had a program at the Department of Energy with the auto companies, with Toyota, with the Japanese companies, to develop batteries and fuel cells and efficient engines, so that you can have an SUV, but with a fuel efficient engine that somehow helps us—you know what?  What, what really upset me, I just saw that the Bush administration once again said to the Germans we’re not going to reduce our greenhouse gas emissions, just like the rest of the world should.  I would launch a major diplomatic initiative to say to China and India and developing countries that America is going to be a leader in reducing greenhouse gas emissions, a cap and trade system that is mandatory.  We have to do these things on a mandatory basis.

MR. RUSSERT:  Governor, when you left your position as secretary of energy, however, you did join two boards—Valero Energy and Diamond Offshore Drilling. Valero Energy, as you know, they are very much involved in refinering—refining.  The chairman, then CEO, Bill Greehey, boasted that tighter supplies of gasoline “had provided outstanding profit margins for us. The outlook for the next year is even better,” as the Boston Herald says, which means for car drivers even worse.  You have significant stock holdings in that company.  Would you divest yourself of a company that is bragging about all the money they made over higher gasoline prices?

GOV. RICHARDSON:  Well, I already got rid of the stock.

MR. RUSSERT:  It’s gone?

GOV. RICHARDSON:  Yeah.

MR. RUSSERT:  Do you regret going on their board?

GOV. RICHARDSON:  No.  No, I don’t.  I have to earn a living.  I left—remember, when we left the Clinton administration in 2000, I had to earn a living.  I’m not against oil companies per se.  Why, why would I—I’m no against oil production.  I strongly favor renewable energy, and I believe the oil companies, you know, should not get the tax breaks they’re getting.

MR. RUSSERT:  But you made a lot of money off the company.

GOV. RICHARDSON:  No, I didn’t make a lot of—compared to other candidates—come on, Tim, you know that.  I, I went on those two boards.  I also went on the board for the Natural Resources Defense Council, the strongest environmental organization.  There’s nothing wrong with being on energy boards.  I have to earn a living.

MR. RUSSERT:  Is there...

GOV. RICHARDSON:  I’d always been in government.

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