Posted on 01/22/2007 8:06:07 PM PST by kiriath_jearim
America must do more to reduce its dependence on foreign oil and combat global warming, President George W Bush will say in the State of the Union address early tomorrow.
Though he will stop short of calling for a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions, his speech is a watershed for an administration that has been sceptical about climate change. The annual speech assumes greater importance than some of Mr Bush's previous addresses since he has few remaining opportunities to set the national agenda before he becomes a lame duck president.
Though he will not leave office until January 2009, next year - including his last State of the Union address - will be eclipsed by the battle to find his successor.
Although Mr Bush will talk about Iraq, repeating his determination to put down the insurgency, for once his domestic policy proposals are more keenly awaited than his foreign policy vision.
"I'm going to talk about a bold initiative that really encourages America to become less dependent on oil," Mr Bush said in an interview with USA Today.
Mr Bush is expected to call for higher fuel-economy standards for new cars as well as for greater investment in alternative and renewable fuel supplies, such as ethanol-based alternatives to petrol.
White House aides previewing the speech also suggested that the president will urge Congress to pass measures that would reduce emissions from power stations. "The new technologies I'll be outlining will help us deal with the issue of 'greenhouse gases'," he said.
Though environmental campaigners have pressed the president to commit to a specific target for emissions reduction, Mr Bush maintains that "the way to solve the problem is to promote new technology".
The Bush administration believes that market forces will prove more efficient than government regulation.
The White House spokesman, Tony Snow, said: "Carrots work better than sticks."
Mr Bush is responding to Democratic pledges that Congress will act on global warming issues even if the White House does not make the matter a priority.
The Department of Energy's £600 million annual budget for renewable fuel and efficiency programmes has not increased in real terms since Mr Bush took office.
"The science of global warming and its impact is overwhelming," said Nancy Pelosi, the new Speaker of the House of Representatives. "We want to work with President Bush. But we cannot afford to wait."
The administration has opened new areas of US territory to oil exploration, granting new licenses for oil prospecting in the Gulf of Mexico and Alaska to increase domestic oil production. But imports still account for 60 per cent of US oil consumption - up from 53 per cent at the start of Mr Bush's presidency.
According to a new poll released by ABC News, 65 per cent of Americans disapprove of Mr Bush's performance - a figure second only to Richard Nixon among presidents since the Second World War.
2Pe 3:10 But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, in which the heavens will pass away with a roar and the elements will be destroyed with intense heat, and the earth and its works will be burned up.
2Pe 3:11 Since all these things are to be destroyed in this way, what sort of people ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness,
2Pe 3:12 looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be destroyed by burning, and the elements will melt with intense heat!
This should almost complete the separation of the conservative movement from the President. The only thing left is the war on terror.
A good success that we never hear about.
To hell with Global Warming.What the President should be doing is pushing energy independance on this country even if that means he has to do it without the approval of the congress.This is a national security issue. Something the dummiecraps know nothing about.
Yet we will hear conservative bashing him ad infinitum nonetheless.
Sadly, very true.
Oh brother. Give it up, W, nobody cares but the lunar-tics.
Ah, so we should appreciate his sandbagging us gently.
Twist words much?
Whatever happened to Bush's "capital" he earned after the 2004 election? It went down the drain as he appeased the Rats and MSM.
Bush and the Republicans just don't get it. They are alienating conservatives with this crap.
The President placed a big emphasis on hydrogen fuel cells in a SOTU speech a couple years ago. Any progress on that front, or was that just a passing fad?
to even give it credibility by addressing it seriously is a disaster.
I think there has been something similar in almost every SOTU message for the last 30 years. It rings hollow at this point, is meaningless and is ridiculous for the President to even go there at this point.
Best to lay out his position which is basically to not do much.
I suggest duct taping mouths of the majority of both Houses of Congress… for starters. Might set off a new ice age.
I'm not the one buying into the global warming nonsense.
Because it's crap. If he's not going to propose much action on it, why even announce it?
When are you Bush and GOP apologists going to wake up? Bush and the Republicans are appeasing the Dims with this. Do you think the envirowackos are ever going to support Bush?
Do you realize that the two Republicans the Left hated the most, Nixon and Bush, are the ones that pretty much gave the Left what they wanted in terms of socialist policies?
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