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President Bush's Energy Tour Misrepresents Reality of Energy Policy Sierra Club Activists Rally, Run Ads Calling for Bush to be More Honest in Unveiling Energy Plan
As part of a massive grassroots campaign, Sierra Club activists will hold rallies and press conferences at polluting power plants that represent his plan more honestly than the sites President Bush chose for his photo ops. Additionally, the Sierra Club will run ads in newspapers in the cities President Bush visits. "President Bush should know the old Texas saying ‘You can put your boots in the oven but that don’t make ‘em biscuits.’ But by posing himself in front of the kinds of environmentally responsible power plants that are essentially ignored by his energy plan, he’s trying to portray his plan as something that it’s not." said Carl Pope, Executive Director of the Sierra Club. "It would be more honest for President Bush to stand in front of the dirty and dangerous coal and nuclear plants that his plan promotes." In each of the cities on President Bush’s tour, on the day before his visits Sierra Club members and allies will hold press conferences at sites that would be more fitting for his photo-ops. Activists will also hold rallies on the days of President Bush’s visits. In St. Paul, MN President Bush will visit the District Energy co-generation plant, but environmentalists will hold a press conference at a more honest and representative venue for President Bush to visit -- the High Bridge coal-fired power plant. They will have a ton of coal on hand, the amount of asthma-triggering soot dumped into the air every day by the plant. The Bush Administration budget actually cuts by 30 percent energy efficiency research and development that promotes efficient plants. In Des Moines, IA, residents will point out that a presidential trip to a near-by diesel fuel power plant would have been more honest than the President's planned photo op at the Iowa Energy Center in Nevada, IA, which researches energy efficiency. The President's budget actually cuts research in renewable energy and development programs by 37 percent and cuts energy efficient research and development by 30 percent. Near Lancaster, PA, Sierra Club activists will hold an event near the Safe Harbor Hydroelectric Plant and a press conference within view of the Three Mile Island nuclear plant to underscore the fact the Bush Administration policy has little to do with promoting the kind of environmentally sensitive, fish-friendly hydroelectric power in place at safe Harbor. Just last week the Bush administration made it easier for hydroelectric power plants to side-step environmental safeguards. Activists will also emphasize that because the Administration supports increased nuclear power, a more appropriate trip for President Bush would have been to the nearby Three Mile Island Nuclear Power Plant, the site of our nation's worst nuclear accident. "President Bush's energy plan won't work," said Pope. "It makes the wrong choices, because we can't drill, dig or destroy our way out of our energy problems. That's why we're pushing for a more honest, balanced policy that promotes energy efficiency, uses clean renewable energy like wind and solar power, and emphasizes responsible production. Americans need an energy policy that provides quicker, cleaner, cheaper, and safer solutions for our families and for our future. Photo courtesy Dept. of Energy / National Renewable Energy Laboratory. Up to Top |
May 16, 2001: The stops on President Bush’s energy tour misrepresent the reality of his energy policy. While President Bush is offering several photo opportunities in front of relatively environmentally friendly power and energy research plants in Minnesota, Iowa, and Pennsylvania on Thursday and Friday, the real Bush Administration plan essentially ignores these high-tech, energy-efficient solutions. Instead, President Bush's proposal is heavily weighted to increased oil, gas, coal, and nuclear production, while his budget proposal slashes funding for renewable energy and efficiency by a third.