WASHINGTON, Dec. 4 (UPI) -- Amid pressure, the Bush administration is pushing alternative energy and is trying to curb greenhouse gas emissions, The Wall Street Journal reports Monday.
The administration may push U.S. carmakers to make more vehicles that run on ethanol and other alternative fuels, and is also considering a move to cut tariffs on imported ethanol to boost supplies at home.
The issue, along with climate change, has gained traction following the Democratic takeover of Congress.
The newspaper said that Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson was part of a group looking at ways to reduce dependence on foreign oil and spur the domestic market for alternative energy. The group is expected to make its recommendation to the White House soon, the newspaper said.
The group is expected to recommend lifting tariffs on imported ethanol and providing more subsidies for those who make and sell alternate fuel.
The newspaper said that the administration was pressing automakers to increase their production of flex-fuel vehicles, and the Big Three U.S. carmakers - General Motors, Ford and Chrysler - had pledged to make 50 percent of all their vehicles flex-fuel vehicles by 2012.
