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Politics : PRESIDENT GEORGE W. BUSH -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: pompsander who wrote (756108)	12/13/2006 6:47:08 PM
From: DuckTapeSunroof	Respond to of 769670

Executives Urge Action to Cut Dependence on Foreign Oil December 13, 2006 By MATTHEW L. WALD nytimes.com WASHINGTON, Dec. 12 — More than a dozen prominent business executives and retired military officers, including the chairman of FedEx and a former commandant of the Marine Corps, are lobbying Congress and the White House to undertake a comprehensive campaign to reduce reliance on imported oil. The group, which includes top executives from the chemical, trucking and airline industries, wants much tougher fuel economy standards, not only on cars and sport utility vehicles, but also on heavy trucks, which some of the companies use. They want increased drilling offshore and within the United States, a much harder push for ethanol and other biofuels, and other changes that would permanently reduce the importance of oil as a strategic commodity and an economic force. While the group, called the Energy Security Leadership Council, has embraced no startling new ideas, it hopes that evidence of broad support from business and military leaders will add the weight needed to get its proposals adopted. Energy policy is in “almost perfect gridlock,” Frederick W. Smith, the founder and chief executive of FedEx, who is co-chairman of the group, said in a telephone interview. “It’s the height of folly for the U.S. to continue on this course, lest we have some major economic or national security problem. Something has to get done.” The group plans to release a details on Wednesday, to start a television and print ad campaign and to begin meeting with Congressional leaders and White House officials. The other co-chairman is Gen. P. X. Kelley, a retired commandant of the Marines. Also on board are top executives of Dow Chemical, Waste Management and Southwest Airlines; a former Navy secretary; and the Air Force chief of staff. Among the proposals is a 4 percent annual increase in fuel economy covering vehicles up to 10,000 pounds, substantially larger than those now covered by the corporate average fuel economy, or CAFE, standard. It would allow delays in improvements if 4 percent was “technically infeasible, unsafe or not cost-effective for a given year.” Although the current standard for light trucks has a similar escape clause, the Transportation Department has nonetheless required only small improvements in fuel economy. Mr. Smith noted that American energy consumption was successfully reduced after the Arab oil embargo of 1973-74, although some of the steps taken then cannot be repeated, like large-scale substitution of natural gas for oil and replacing or converting most oil-fueled electric power plants to other fuels. The report also recommends recruiting other countries that rely on imported oil to help defend oil operations around the world. But it rejected the concept of energy independence in favor of a goal of reducing the amount of oil per unit of economic output. There is broad consensus that the country should rely less on imports — President Bush, in his last State of the Union speech, said that America was “addicted to oil” — but Congress has taken no steps toward that goal. Even before the unveiling of the plan, the organizers have lined up generalized support, if not specific endorsement, from elected officials. Representative Steny H. Hoyer, the Maryland Democrat who will be the House majority leader in the new Congress, said, “When prominent C.E.O.s and military leaders get together to advocate an issue as important as energy security, people listen.” Senator Joseph I. Lieberman, the Connecticut Democrat who won re-election this fall as an independent, said the panel’s composition had made him “sit up and take notice.” Senator Richard G. Lugar, Republican of Indiana, said he welcomed the report. “Our nation is becoming increasingly dependent on energy resources that are concentrated in places that are either hostile to American interests or vulnerable to political upheaval and terrorism,” he said. “I commend the council for speaking candidly about these dangers.” Copyright 2006 The New York Times Company

To: pompsander who wrote (756108)	12/13/2006 7:54:40 PM
From: d.taggart	Read Replies (3) \| Respond to of 769670

it is no secret that the terrorists and the dems have an understanding,destroying the United States is the stated goal of both, so it should surprise noone when the dems seem to cozy up to terrorist dictators,dems love the UN ,why because like themthe UN hates the USA.............NOW THAT THE DEMS HAVE THEIR FEET TO THE FIRE ON IRAQ,we will see some dancing like never seen before,how do they save our enemies without outing themselves,unlike jimmy carter who is truly a fucking moron they have much to lose.power and the ability to take our country down a few more notches while they use it......