I hear there making these...
Posted on 02/20/2006 2:41:33 PM PST by Angus MacGregor
Bush: U.S. on Verge of Energy Breakthrough
Feb 20, 4:44 PM (ET)
By DEB RIECHMANN
MILWAUKEE (AP) - Saying the nation is on the verge of technological breakthroughs that would "startle" most Americans, President Bush on Monday outlined his energy proposals to help wean the country off foreign oil.
Less than half the crude oil used by refineries is produced in the United States, while 60 percent comes from foreign nations, Bush said during the first stop on a two-day trip to talk about energy.
Some of these foreign suppliers have "unstable" governments that have fundamental differences with America, he said.
"It creates a national security issue and we're held hostage for energy by foreign nations that may not like us," Bush said.
Bush is focusing on energy at a time when Americans are paying high power bills to heat their homes this winter and have only recently seen a decrease in gasoline prices.
One of Bush's proposals would expand research into smaller, longer-lasting batteries for electric-gas hybrid cars, including plug-ins. He highlighted that initiative with a visit Monday to the battery center at Milwaukee-based auto-parts supplier Johnson Controls Inc. (JCI)
During his trip, Bush is also focusing on a proposal to increase investment in development of clean electric power sources, and proposals to speed the development of biofuels such as "cellulosic" ethanol made from wood chips or sawgrass.
Energy conservation groups and environmentalists say they're pleased that the president, a former oil man in Texas, is stressing alternative sources of energy, but they contend his proposals don't go far enough. They say the administration must consider greater fuel-efficiency standards for cars, and some economists believe it's best to increase the gas tax to force consumers to change their driving habits.
During his visit to Johnson Controls' new hybrid battery laboratory, Bush checked out two Ford Escapes - one with a nickel-metal-hybrid battery, the kind that powers most hybrid-electric vehicles, and one with a lithium-ion battery, which Johnson Controls believes are the wave of the future. The lithium-ion battery was about half the size of the older-model battery. In 2004, Johnson Controls received a government contract to develop the lithium-ion batteries.
While Bush is highlighting his budget proposals to help wean America from foreign oil, the lab he visited is meeting a $28 million shortfall by cutting its staff by 32 people, including eight researchers.
"Our nation is on the threshold of new energy technology that I think will startle the American people," Bush said. "We're on the edge of some amazing breakthroughs - breakthroughs all aimed at enhancing our national security and our economic security and the quality of life of the folks who live here in the United States."
Later Monday, Bush was visiting the United Solar Ovonics Plant, which makes solar panels, in Auburn Hills, Mich., outside Detroit. The company also works on hydrogen fuel cells to power autos.
"Roof makers will one day be able to make a solar roof that protects you from the elements and at the same time, powers your house," Bush said. "The vision is this - that technology will become so efficient that you'll become a little power generator in your home, and if you don't use the energy you generate you'll be able to feed it back into the electricity grid."
Rep. Ed Markey, D-Mass., questioned Bush's energy policies Monday, saying the administration also supports subsidies for luxury SUVs.
"This single tax subsidy dwarfs anything being done for hybrid batteries," Markey said in a news release.
On Tuesday, Bush plans to visit the Energy Department's National Renewable Energy Laboratory in Golden, Colo., to talk about speeding the development of biofuels.
As a complement to Bush's travels, six Cabinet officials are crisscrossing the nation this week, appearing at more than two dozen energy events in more than a dozen states.
I sure hope so! It has been a long time coming!
Saying the nation is on the verge of technological breakthroughs that would "startle" most Americans...
I want my flying car.
Back in 2001, some Cabinet Secretary said the US Economy was about to enter a Golden Era
Just like the border has been clamped down on and secured.
Just like Americans have been given the freedom to control their own retirement instead of being forced to support the Social Security Ponzi Scheme.
Sounds like an excuse to use the Credit Card of Future Generations to spend MORE MORE MORE.
They said that about the Segway scooter... LOL!
"Our nation is on the threshold of new energy technology that I think will startle the American people,"
Hmm. I hope he hasn't been reading any cold fusion articles!
I guess I don't startle that easily. The repeatable "cold fusion" recently announced is interesting, but has no energy ramifications for the time being.
I figured that someone would finally harness Reid's, Kennedy's, Gore's, Dean's and Hill's hot gas for a new form of energy. Then global warming would be in the past.
I hear there making these...
Why? We get their bankroll just as their income stream is about to take a big hit. We can buy the ports back from them when they come begging later. At a good discount, of course.
You weren't startled by the Segway Scooter?
I'm interested in bio-fuels myself, and I'm really curious about the bio-mass to diesel process...
I think the thing that most bio-fuel critics miss is that most
of the material for potential bio-fuel is ALREADY being harvested - it just goes to waste. To be able to convert unused, already harvested materials into fuel would certainly be sound, as long as the process did not take more fuel than it created.
Runs off the trash in your house.
http://www.tomvalentine.com/html/karrick2.html
http://www.rexresearch.com/karrick/karric~1.htm
There is a special place in hell for those of you who repeatedly post this picture of Ted Kennedy. Odd how I never see this one over at DU.
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