In anticipation of the first Republican presidential debate, Politico's Andrew Restuccia laid out the questions “we'd ask the candidates” if “we had it our way.” Among the questions Restuccia came up with are why climate-denying GOP candidates think they “know better than most climate scientists”; what would be their “alternative” to the Clean Power Plan for meeting the Supreme Court requirement that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) limit carbon pollution; would they “support dismantling the federal EPA” like Gov. Scott Walker (R-WI); do they “believe that fossil fuels receive any subsidies in the tax code"; and do they support the Yucca Mountain nuclear waste project.

From the August 6 edition of Politico's Morning Energy (ME):

HERE'S WHAT ME WOULD ASK: ME is under no illusion that energy will take center stage at the debate. But if we had it our way, here's what we'd ask the candidates:

-- How many of you think climate change is a hoax? If so, what evidence can you point to to support that position and why do you know better than most climate scientists?

-- How specifically would you go about dismantling Obama's climate regulations? Given that the Supreme Court has compelled the EPA to regulate greenhouse gas emissions, what would your alternative be?

-- If diplomats succeed in reaching an international climate change deal later this year, would you ignore those commitments as president?

-- Would you support dismantling the federal EPA and delegating its responsibilities to individual states, as Gov. Walker has suggested?

-- If President Barack Obama rejects the Keystone XL pipeline, would you encourage its developer to resubmit an application as soon as you take office, so your administration can approve it?

-- Do you support lifting the ban on crude oil exports? How would you respond if, as some critics warn, ending the crude export ban results in a gasoline price spike?

-- Do you believe that fossil fuels receive any subsidies in the tax code? If so, how many would you support repealing? (Be specific.) If not, why not?

-- What is your position on the Yucca Mountain nuclear waste project? And if not Yucca, where should the nation put its nuclear waste?

Previously:

STUDY: How The Media Is Covering Presidential Candidates' Climate Science Denial

The Best And Worst Media Interviews With Climate-Denying Presidential Candidates

Myths and Facts About EPA's Carbon Pollution Standards

AP, Review-Journal Miss Jeb Bush's Yucca Mountain Flip-Flop