Politics

Bush Revs Up Energy Plan

June 28, 2001 / 5:26 PM EDT / AP

Hoping to invigorate his energy proposal, President Bush called for more research into developing energy-efficient products and said Thursday he wants the federal government to do more to conserve power - starting in his own house.

Mr. Bush took a tour of the Energy Department, and announced $85.7 million in federal grants to encourage academia and the private sector to develop fuel technologies and energy-efficient products.

He joked to employees whooping and cheering his arrival: "Conserve your energy!"

But Mr. Bush aimed his remarks more at Congress, which is considering his plan to increase domestic oil, natural gas, coal and electricity generation while boosting conservation and use of solar and wind power. The plan was unveiled May 17 and has languished in the Senate since the GOP lost control. Mr. Bush was sending an outline of his plan to lawmakers Thursday.

Highlights of the White House Proposal:

Oil/Gas

Authorize drilling in Arctic Wildlife Refuge in Alaska, requiring oil companies to use state-of-the-art technology to avoid damaging the environment.

Earmark estimated $1.2 billion collected by federal government for multi-year drilling rights in the refuge to fund research into alternative energy sources.

Modify Alaska Natural Gas Transportation Act of 1976 to expedite construction of a pipeline to ship natural gas from Alaska to the lower 48 states.

Extend excise tax exemption for ethanol fuel.

Create Royalties Conservation Fund to earmark royalties from new oil and gas production in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to fund land conservation efforts.

Electricity

Change tax law to allow non-utilities to make deductible contributions to a nuclear power plant decommissioning fund.

Reauthorize Price-Anderson Act, which protects utilities from legal liability in a nuclear plant accident.

Give Federal Energy Regulatory Commission eminent domain authority to seize private property to build electricity transmission lines.

Expand tax credits for electricity produced using wind power, biomass and other renewable energy.

Establish mandatory reduction targets for power plant missions of sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxides and mercury over a reasonable" period of time, and establish a market-based program to encourage reductions.

Consumers

Offer income tax credits for consumers who buy hybrid and fuecell vehicles.

Offer 15 percent tax credit for consumers who buy photovoltaic equipment or solar water heating equipment for their homes.

Miscellaneous

Offer tax credit for investments in combined heat and power systems, or shortening the depreciation life for projects.

Offer tax credit for energy produced from landfill gas.

Reform hydropower licensing process to make process faster.

(Reuters)

"It is the right step for our federal government to set the example," Mr. Bush said. "If we lay out an energy strategy, we must act upon the strategy."

The president signaled frustration with the debate on the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, where he has proposed drilling for oil.

Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle, D-S.D., has called that proposal dead.

"Ours is the first administration that has laid out a broad strategy, a comprehensive strategy, a strategy that goes beyond the stale debates of whether or not we ought to drill for natural gas in Alaska or not," Mr. Bush said. "We're talking way beyond just one single issue that seems to dominate the landscape here in Washington, D.C."

The president said the White House would take a series of steps to encourage its staff to conserve energy, such as installing motion switches for lights, turning off computer monitors at night and shutting down computers completely if they will not be used for three days or longer.

New chillers installed atop the Eisenhower Executive Office Building adjacent to the White House have led to a 10 percent to 12 percent savings in energy costs, said White House spokesman Ari Fleischer. And, Mr. Bush also has long-term plans to replace 400 window-unit air conditioners in the Eisenhower building, Fleischer said.

The White House complex will remove halogen lamps of 100 watts or greater. External lights that shine on the White House "as a national emblem" will not be affected. Nor will external aesthetics, such as Christmas lights, Fleischer said. Thermostats for hot-water heaters will be set at 105 degrees.

In the long term, the White House will propose modernizing electrical and mechanical systems so they can get rid of the 400 or so window-unit air conditioners in the Eisenhower building.

All White House recommendations, if accepted and funded by Congress, could save as much as 25 to 30 percent of energy at the White House, Fleishcher said.

Mr. Bush said he will sign an executive order directing federal agencies to buy certain appliances that meet a 1-watt standard of energy consumption, rather than those that use up to 7 watts.

Mr. Bush also decried what he called energy "vampires," machines that drain energy when not in use, such as televisions, computers and cell phone chargers. He called Energy Secretary Spencer Abraham "the new vampire-slayer" and pledged his administration would take the lead in replacing such products with new, more efficient technologies.
Vampire devices account for just 4 percent of an average home's energy consumption, Mr. Bush said. But multiplied out across all American homes, vampires eat up 52 billion kilowatt hours of power each year, or the equivalent of 26 average-sized power plants.

"Because of our desire for instant convenience, many of the appliances in our homes carry unnecessarily high energy costs," he said. "When you multiply the amount of chargers plugged into people's walls all across America, one can begin to realize significant energy savings all across the country."

Mr. Bush, who had earlier ordered military installations in California to conserve, said the Navy has cut power usage during peak hours in California by 11 percent compared to last year.