WASHINGTON, Feb. 23 (UPI) -- President Bush Saturday called on the Senate to pass his energy proposals to lessen U.S. dependence on foreign oil and protect economic and national security.
U.S. oil consumption, he said, is expected to increase by about one-third over the next two decades, while demand for electricity is expected to rise by 45 percent.
"America is already using more energy than our domestic resources can provide, and unless we act to increase our energy independence, our reliance on foreign sources of energy will only increase," he said in his weekly radio address, following his return from Asia.
"Passing my comprehensive energy plan is not just important for energy security, it is also vital to our economic security. Economic growth requires reliable and affordable energy ... We all remember the blackouts and the sky-high energy bills of recent summers."
Bush's energy agenda, passed by the House of Representatives, includes opening up a portion of Alaska's Artic National Wildlife Refuge to drilling. Critics argue it would spoil the natural environment, but Bush argued new technology would protect the environment, and that "national security makes it urgent."
Bush said his plan would promote conservation, increase funding for energy efficiency and renewable energy programs and invests in new technologies for the development of such systems as fuel cells for the powering of vehicles.
