Skeptics Nip at Bush's Oil Pledge

By John Gartner | Also by this reporter
16:53 PM Feb, 01, 2006

President Bush's vow to begin weaning America from oil dependence may signal an important shift in energy policy, but the practical effects of the proposals spelled out in Tuesday's State of the Union address will likely be felt only far down the road, environmentalists said.

Clean-energy advocates said they were encouraged by increased support for research efforts, but cautioned the speech left at the altar initiatives that would immediately have an impact on the importation of oil, such as conservation and clean air standards.

"It was one small step for President Bush, and one giant missed opportunity for America," said Toby Chaudhuri, communications director of Apollo Alliance, an organization of national security, environmental and business leaders that promotes energy independence. "The president's proposals focus primarily on research. His energy program won't help lower gas prices or slow the global warming that the president still does not admit is happening."

In Tuesday's speech, Bush announced the Advanced Energy Initiative as part of a national goal to replace more than 75 percent of oil imports from the Middle East by 2025. Although the president has previously referred to America's need for oil independence, this was the first time he quantified a goal in a State of the Union address.

For fiscal year 2007, Bush said he would attack the problem of foreign oil dependency by increasing Department of Energy spending on clean-energy research by 22 percent.

Bush calls for the DOE to spend $335 million on clean coal initiatives, the largest share of the research dollars. Funding for solar energy research would increase by nearly 78 percent, from $83 million to $148 million, while spending on wind-technology research would grow by 12.8 percent, to $44 million.

"America is addicted to oil, which is often imported from unstable parts of the world," Bush said in the address. "The best way to break this addiction is through technology."

The president has been criticized in the past for not promoting fuel conservation in the short term through technologies such as hybrid cars or requiring auto manufacturers to increase the average fuel efficiency of their vehicles. On Tuesday, Bush called for increased funding of research into advanced battery technology that would enable hybrid vehicles to rely primarily on energy from the power grid, a technology referred to as "plug-in hybrids."

Chaudhuri said that while the president's plan may help the situation over the long term, it does little to address today's problems. In addition, promises made in January are often forgotten in the rough-and-tumble of politics, he said.

"The president made the same promise last year and then cut funding for the program," he said of the president's Tuesday pledge to spend $150 million on technologies to develop cellulosic ethanol, transportation fuel that is derived from switchgrass and agricultural waste products like wood chips.