President Clinton's Radio Address: Meeting America's Energy Needs in the 21st Century

President Clinton's Radio Address to the Nation:
Meeting America's Energy Needs In The 21st Century

July 1, 2000

 

President Clinton, in his weekly radio address, today called on Congress to join him in strengthening America's energy security by fully funding energy programs in his FY 2001 budget and by enacting other key elements of the Administration's long-term energy strategy. The President also urged the Republican leadership to abandon environmentally reckless proposals to drill for oil in pristine Alaska wilderness and on other federal lands.

PRESIDENT CLINTON'S PLAN TO MEET AMERICA'S ENERGY NEEDS IN THE 21ST CENTURY: Ensuring the availability of affordable and environmentally responsible energy is central to maintaining our unparalleled economic growth and prosperity. For seven years, this Administration has consistently pursued a forward-looking and balanced approach to meeting America's energy needs in the 21st century. This strategy supports continued development of traditional energy sources, and aggressive efforts to improve energy efficiency and promote alternative energy sources.

To ease reliance on imported oil, the Administration has invested in new technologies that have significantly enhanced recovery of domestic oil reserves. To promote clean energy alternatives, the Administration has expanded research and development of solar, wind, biomass and other renewable sources. To save energy and money, the Administration has adopted new energy-efficiency standards for appliances and forged new partnerships with industry. These include Energy Star® and the Partnership for a New Generation of Vehicles (PNGV), which is on track to producing affordable vehicles that get three times the mileage of today's models. And to demonstrate federal leadership, the President has issued Executive Orders directing federal agencies to dramatically improve the energy efficiency of their buildings and automotive fleets.

THE REPUBLICAN CONGRESS HAS FAILED TO ACT TO STRENGTHEN AMERICA'S ENERGY SECURITY: The Republican leadership has failed to act on key elements of the President's long-term energy policy, including: tax incentives to consumers for the purchase of energy-efficient cars, homes and appliances; comprehensive electricity restructuring; and reauthorization of the Strategic Petroleum Reserve. Over the past seven years, Congress has approved only 12 percent of the increased funding proposed by the President for energy efficiency and renewable energy.

Now, the Republican leadership wants to open the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to oil drilling – despoiling one of America's last wild places for a short-term supply of oil. What's more, they are cutting programs critical to meeting our long-term energy needs. For instance:

 

THE PRESIDENT HAS CALLED ON CONGRESS TO PASS THESE KEY ELEMENTS OF OUR ENERGY STRATEGY: The President calls on Congress to pass the following key components of his Energy Policy:

 

I. Tax Incentives to Encourage Greater Efficiency, Renewable Energy, and Domestic Oil Production

The Administration has proposed a balanced package of tax incentives to promote responsible development of traditional energy sources, and, for three years has proposed tax incentives to promote a wide range of alternative and renewable energy sources. The President and Vice President, once again, call on Congress to enact:

II. Investments in R&D to Improve Energy Efficiency, Make Renewable Energy Affordable, and Promote the Clean Use of Fossil Energy

Increased energy efficiency has significantly enhanced our energy security by reducing our demand for imported oil. For example, in 1974, we consumed 15 barrels of oil for each $10,000 of GDP; today we only consume 8 barrels of oil per unit of GDP. But much more can be done. The President and Vice President have secured substantial increases to accelerate the research, development, and deployment of alternative and more efficient energy technologies. They call on Congress to build on these efforts by approving the following FY 2001 requests:

III. Comprehensive Electricity Restructuring for Reliability and Savings

Enactment of the Administration's proposed comprehensive legislation will lower electricity prices, clean the environment, encourage innovation and new services, and increase the reliability of our Nation's power supply grid. It will also enhance energy security by enabling us to operate our economy on less fuel. The President and Vice President's proposed legislation, which Congress has failed to act on for over two years would:

IV. Preparation for Energy Supply Emergencies

Notwithstanding our best efforts to promote a diverse and secure supply of energy, because of the location of the world's oil reserves, the fact remains that we import a sizeable portion of the oil we consume. In order to mitigate that risk, and to address emergencies created by unusually cold or warm weather, the Administration supports:

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