Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: THURSDAY, February 21, 1991 TAG: 9102210590
SECTION: NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL PAGE: A-2 EDITION: EVENING
SOURCE: Associated Press
DATELINE: WASHINGTON LENGTH: Medium
Energy Secretary James Watkins was answering questions today about the strategy before the Senate Energy Committee, whose members are expected to craft a legislative package in the coming months.
In releasing his energy blueprint Wednesday, Bush called it a "strategy for an energy future that is secure, efficient and environmentally sound." He said it represented a "balanced" approach that will increase domestic oil production and cut consumption.
But almost immediately, dozens of congressmen assailed the energy program as placing too much emphasis on oil drilling and promoting nuclear power and not enough on programs that would curb consumption.
Critics chastised the administration for not including measures that would force automakers to improve fuel efficiency, maintaining that cars and trucks use 40 percent of the oil consumed in the United States.
"In this strategy, energy conservation seems to be an afterthought," Sen. Bill Bradley, D-N.J., argued. "The president's goal seems simply to sustain a glut of oil, keep oil prices low regardless of environmental costs."
Sen. Albert Gore, D-Tenn., a frequent critic of the administration's energy proposals, said the Bush plan had no future. "This is a dead-end energy policy headed into a brick wall," he declared.
Watkins played down the criticism, calling it a matter of "philosophical differences" between those who would rely on market forces to curb energy demand and those who favor government "command and control" measures.
The secretary argued that the energy benefits for even a 40 percent increase in automobile fuel economy have been overblown. He estimated that at best, such increases would save 500,000 barrels of oil a day, not the estimated 2.8 million barrels a day claimed by those advocating sharp increases in auto fuel economy.
Among other things, Bush's package calls for opening the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to oil production and expanding offshore drilling, easing building rules for nuclear power plants, speeding the construction of natural gas pipelines and overhauling utility regulations to increase competition.
Most of the administration's energy conservation measures were modest in nature. They included energy labeling for light bulbs, requiring "cost effective" energy efficiency standards to be used in new construction, encouraging lenders to consider fuel efficiency when approving home mortgages and allowing employers to provide tax-free subsidies for using mass transit.
The plan also proposed requiring fleet operators to use fuels other than gasoline if the alternative fuels and cars able to run on them are available. Automakers would be able to exempt vehicles that use both gasoline and alternative fuels from federal fuel economy standards.
ENERGY PLAN HIGHLIGHTS
Expand environmentally "responsible" domestic oil production, including along coastal waters and in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge in northern Alaska.
Ease regulations to speed the construction of nuclear power plants and waste disposal sites to "revitalize" the nuclear energy option.
Speed the construction of natural gas pipelines by removing regulatory barriers and make natural gas more widely competitive with oil and other energy sources.
Overhaul regulation of the electric utility industry to increase competition for wholesale power and promote more widespread use of renewable energy sources such as solar and wind power.
Require use of "cost-effective energy efficiency standards" in the construction of new buildings subsidized by federal funds or federally insured mortgages; also improve energy efficiency labeling for lights.
Encourage lenders to consider fuel efficiency ratings when approving home mortgages.
by CNB