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Bush Energy Plans Won't Break Oil Addiction Statement of Carl Pope, Executive Director of the Sierra Club In tonight’s State of the Union address, President Bush admits that America has an oil addiction but fails to offer the immediate solutions that exist today. When you have an addiction you don’t say ‘I’ll try to kick the habit in 10 or 20 years.’ President Bush is missed a historic opportunity to present a vision for leading America out of its energy crisis and oil addiction. Rather than decisively putting clean, cheap, smart energy solutions to work, the President’s energy proposal is little more than a repackaging of the same old wish-list for corporate lobbyists that fails to provide America with adequate environmental protection, security, or job-creation. From drilling in the Arctic Refuge, to weakening clean air and other environmental protections, to spending billions of dollars to revive a failed, dangerous nuclear power program, this administration is unwilling to put actual 21st century solutions to work. An energy policy that put our families ahead of corporate lobbyists would: · Invest in better technology to lower energy bills, · Invest in renewable energy and energy efficiency · Produce clean, homegrown energy while creating millions of new jobs nationwide. · Raise fuel economy standards to save more oil than the United States currently imports from the entire Persian Gulf or could ever take out of the Arctic Refuge, combined. By investing in modern technology, America could cut its dependence on dirty fossil fuels while saving consumers money, preserving treasured places, and keeping Americans safer. We don't need to put the health and safety of our families at risk or sacrifice our most treasured lands to meet our nation's energy needs. America sits on three percent of the world’s oil but consumes 25 percent--as long as we are dependent on oil, we will be dependent on foreign oil. President Bush knows that Americans are dissatisfied with current energy policy. Every trip to the gas station or the emergency room for an asthma attack reminds Americans that our country is still reliant on expensive, outdated, and polluting sources of energy like coal and oil. But instead of being honest with Americans, President Bush says one thing while doing another. When the cameras are on and the public is watching, he talks about investing in sources of clean energy and cutting America’s dependence on oil and other dirty sources of energy. But when it comes time to put policies in place, the administration has consistently sided with huge profit-bloated energy companies and opposed taking steps that would lower energy bills and cut America’s oil dependence. In 2006, at a time when global warming is a gathering storm that may be our greatest national challenge for the future, there was silence from President Bush on the issue. A closer look at the proposals laid out by the President reveals that instead of charting a new course, he is taking the country backwards with an expensive and dangerous energy plan. At a time when we are trying to keep countries such as Iran from expanding their nuclear programs, it is irresponsible for the Bush administration to push dangerous nuclear technology worldwide. Nuclear power is prohibitively expensive, produces highly radioactive waste, provides too many opportunities for accidents and terrorist attacks and won't do the job of curbing global warming. There are better, cleaner, and cheaper energy solutions that can be used to meet our energy needs and protect the environment. President Bush has talked about ethanol and renewable energy before in speeches like this. But time and again the resulting policy reflects the desires of the giant oil, coal and nuclear industries--not real-world solutions that would benefit the environment and the American consumer. Americans are still facing higher energy costs, more pollution and less national security while oil companies like ExxonMobil are posting record-high profits. Cellulosic ethanol is ethanol made in a cleaner process from a woody plant like switchgrass instead of corn. While developing cellulosic ethanol can significantly reduce the environmental drawbacks of that fuel, President Bush is failing to take the single biggest step towards reducing our oil dependence--making our cars, trucks and SUVs go farther on a gallon of gas. President Bush spends a great deal of time discussing security, but even in addition to suggesting an increase in dangerous nuclear plants, the Bush administration has also failed to provide security at existing chemical plants. Better fences and more guards at chemical facilities alone are unlikely to stop determined terrorists. Instead, President Bush and Congress should enact legislation that requires chemical facilities to reduce the consequence of chemical terrorism by considering and reporting on possible use of safer chemicals and technologies President Bush has continued down a path of doing what is good for big energy companies, and failing to take common sense steps that will benefit our communities and our families. America can better meet its energy and security needs through energy efficiency, renewable energy like solar and wind power, and responsible additions to supply. Every dollar invested in renewables and efficiency makes America more secure without making our families less safe or saddling future generations with debt.
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