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President Bush says it is an important national goal to lower America's
reliance on foreign oil.
"I have spent a lot of time worrying about the national security
implications of being addicted to oil, particularly from parts of the
world where people may not agree with our policy or our way of life" .
The president says alternative sources of energy are a national
security issue at a time when 60 percent of the crude used by U.S.
refineries comes from outside the country.
He wants Congress to boost funding for research into cleaner-burning
coal and more cost-effective solar and wind energy.
Mr. Bush spoke at the federal National Renewable Energy Laboratory
where 32 jobs were cut earlier this month.
Five million dollars from the Energy Department restored those jobs in
advance of the president's visit. He told employees there that the nation
appreciates their work and their funding issues have been "cleared-up."
"The issue of course is whether or not good intentions are met with
actual dollars spent. Part of the issue we face, unfortunately, is that
you know sometimes decisions are made, but as a result of the
appropriations process, the money may not end up where it was supposed to
have gone."
The president says he wants to reduce U.S. oil imports from the Middle
East by 75 percent during the next two decades. One of the ways to achieve
that goal is for Americans to make greater use of fuels from agricultural
materials, including ethanol, which is now made mostly from corn.
Mr. Bush says technological advances will make it possible to produce
ethanol more cheaply from grasses and agricultural waste such as stalks
and leaves.
He says there are also promising advances in developing more efficient
batteries to power hybrid automobiles which are capable of running on
either electricity or petroleum.
"I want the people to know we are close. The hybrid vehicles you are
buying today are an important part of making sure you save money when it
comes to driving. But they are going to change with the right research and
development. Technology will make it so that the hybrid vehicles are even
better in getting us less addicted on oil and making it good for the
consumers' pocketbook."
President Bush says the government is encouraging alternative energy
with a more than $3,000 tax credit for the purchase of hybrid vehicles.
The president began this tour to promote his energy initiative with
visits Monday to a commercial research lab in the Midwest state of
Wisconsin and a solar power manufacturer in the Midwest state of Michigan.
Scott Stearns, VOA news, at the White House. | 
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