Bush signals shift in US energy policy
In his annual State of the Union address, President Bush signalled a clear shift in US energy policy, when he announced significant funding into new energy sources, which will break the US's dependency on oil.
1st February 2006
carbon-info.org
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"Keeping America competitive requires affordable energy. And here we have a serious problem: America is addicted to oil, which is often imported from unstable parts of the world. The best way to break this addiction is through technology. Since 2001, we have spent nearly $10 billion to develop cleaner, cheaper, and more reliable alternative energy sources -- and we are on the threshold of incredible advances.
So tonight, I announce the Advanced Energy Initiative -- a 22-percent increase in clean-energy research -- at the Department of Energy, to push for breakthroughs in two vital areas. To change how we power our homes and offices, we will invest more in zero-emission coal-fired plants, revolutionary solar and wind technologies, and clean, safe nuclear energy.
We must also change how we power our automobiles. We will increase our research in better batteries for hybrid and electric cars, and in pollution-free cars that run on hydrogen. We'll also fund additional research in cutting-edge methods of producing ethanol, not just from corn, but from wood chips and stalks, or switch grass. Our goal is to make this new kind of ethanol practical and competitive within six years.
Breakthroughs on this and other new technologies will help us reach another great goal: to replace more than 75 percent of our oil imports from the Middle East by 2025. By applying the talent and technology of America, this country can dramatically improve our environment, move beyond a petroleum-based economy, and make our dependence on Middle Eastern oil a thing of the past."
Energy extract from the 2006 State of the Union Address
"It is disappointing that Mr. Bush did not comment on global warming. The US is pursuing new energy sources and technology because they cannot politically or financially continue to afford their dependency on oil - rather than because they worry about how much they pollute and how urgent we need to act to curb climate change," said Carbon-info's chairman Flemming Bermann.
