President Bush marked Earth Day Saturday by highlighting technology that could reduce U.S. dependence on oil, while Democrats used a spike in gas prices to criticize White House energy policy.
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — President Bush marked Earth Day Saturday by highlighting technology that could reduce U.S. dependence on oil, while Democrats used a spike in gas prices to criticize White House energy policy.
With oil prices hitting a record high this week and gas at the pump topping $3 a gallon in some places, Democrats hoping to win control of Congress in November elections seized on the issue to make a populist argument against big oil companies and Republicans' ties to them.
Critics are also seeking to tap into public angst over rising gas prices as a way to blunt the White House push to take credit for overall good economic numbers.
"I know that many of you are anxious right now," said Sen Bill Nelson, a Florida Democrat. "And Americans are frustrated, and sick and tired of billion-dollar giveaways to the oil companies, while the price of gas goes through the roof."
Bush, a former Texas oilman, has called for the United States to kick its "addiction" to oil, but there is little he can do to bring the cost of gas down in the short term.
In Sacramento Saturday, Bush will tour the California Fuel Cell Partnership and promote technology with the potential to revolutionize the way cars are powered, including vehicles run on hydrogen fuel cells that would emit no pollution and be more efficient than gas-powered cars.
Many experts say it is unlikely fuel-cell vehicles will be ready for widespread use for two or three decades.
Bush is also funding research into a new generation of plug-in hybrid vehicles that could be recharged in electrical outlets, allowing many drivers to make their daily commute using no gas.
"By developing these and other new sources of clean renewable energy like ethanol, we will continue growing our economy, reduce energy prices and protect our environment, and make America less dependent on foreign oil," Bush said in his weekly radio address.
DEMOCRAT SAYS OIL CRISIS IS COMING
Nelson, in the Democratic response, supported alternative fuels but said Bush needed to take "more dramatic steps" including conservation and raising the mileage standard for all passenger vehicles to at least 40 miles per gallon .
"The crisis is coming," Nelson said. "And so America must act now, before soaring prices and a dependence on foreign oil puts a chokehold on our economy and military."
Other Democrats also weighed in, with New York Sen. Charles Schumer calling for "reexamination of whether having only four giant oil companies can co-exist with the needs of the American consumer and rational policy on energy."
New York Rep. Louise Slaughter, the top Democrat on the House of Representatives' Rules Committee, has asked for immediate hearings into legislation to reduce gas prices.
Environmentalists welcomed Bush's focus on fuel-cell technology, but Roland Hwang, vehicles policy director for the Natural Resources Defense Council, warned against selling a promising long-term solution as "a quick fix" for political cover.
Oil prices shot up to a new peak over $75 a barrel Friday as investment funds snapped up crude futures and tension mounted over Iran's nuclear intentions. U.S. gasoline retail prices are surging to a level unseen since last year's hurricanes knocked out a quarter of the country's fuel supply.
"I know the folks here are suffering," Bush said in San Jose Friday, "I pledge to the people here in California, if we find any price gouging it will be dealt with firmly."
Source: Reuters
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