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Skriven 2005-04-16 23:33:12 av Whitehouse Press (1:3634/12.0)
Ärende: Press Release (050416) for Sat, 2005 Apr 16
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President's Radio Address
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For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
April 16, 2005

President's Radio Address


˙˙˙˙˙Audio

THE PRESIDENT: Good morning. American families and small businesses across
the country are feeling the pinch from rising gas prices. If you're trying
to meet a family budget or a payroll, even a small change at the pump can
have a big impact.

America's prosperity depends on reliable, affordable and secure sources of
energy. And today our energy needs are growing faster than our domestic
sources are able to provide. Demand for electricity has grown more than 17
percent in the past decade, while our transmission ability lags behind. And
we continue to import more than one-half of our domestic oil supply.

˙Radio Address
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In the coming days and weeks I'll talk more about what we need to do in
Washington to make sure America has an energy policy that reflects the
demands of a new century. The first order of business is for Congress to
pass an energy bill. Next week Congress begins debate on energy legislation
and they need to send me a bill that meets four important objectives:

First, the energy bill must encourage the use of technology to improve
conservation. We must find smarter ways to meet our energy needs, and we
must encourage Americans to make better choices about energy consumption.
We must also continue to invest in research, so we will develop the
technologies that would allow us to conserve more and be better stewards of
the environment.

Second, the energy bill must encourage more production at home in
environmentally sensitive ways. Over the past three years, America's energy
consumption has increased by about 4 percent, while our domestic energy
production has decreased by about 1 percent. That means more of our energy
is coming from abroad. To meet our energy needs and strengthen our national
security we must make America less dependent on foreign sources of energy.

Third, the energy bill must diversify our energy supply by developing
alternative sources of energy like ethanol or biodiesel. We need to promote
safe, clean nuclear power. And to create more energy choices, Congress
should provide tax credits for renewable power sources such as wind, solar,
and landfill gas. We must also continue our clean coal technology projects
so that we can use the plentiful source of coal in an environmentally
friendly way. The bill must also support pollution-free cars and trucks,
powered by hydrogen fuel cells instead of gasoline.

Finally, the energy bill must help us find better, more reliable ways to
deliver energy to consumers. In some parts of the country, our transmission
lines and pipelines are decades older than the homes and businesses they
supply. Many of them are increasingly vulnerable to events that can
interrupt and shut down power in entire regions of the country. We must
modernize our infrastructure to make America's energy more secure and
reliable.

Every source of power that we use today started with the power of human
invention, and those sources have served us well for decades. Now it's time
to apply our knowledge and technology to keep the American Dream alive in
this new century. There is nothing America cannot achieve when we put our
mind to it. And I urge Congress to work out its differences and pass an
energy bill that will help make America safer and more prosperous for the
years to come.

Thank you for listening.
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