4.28.2005
Bush Urges More Nuclear Plants and Building Refineries on Bases (NYTimes.com)
By MARIA NEWMAN
Published: April 27, 2005
President Bush said today that he wanted the United States to build more nuclear power plants, turn unused military bases into refineries and raise sales of more efficient cars to make America less dependent on foreign fuel sources.
The president, in an address to a conference of the Small Business Administration in Washington, said that he knew that people were concerned about the rising prices of oil. It was the second time this week that he addressed the topic, a tacit acknowledgement that the issue is beginning to weigh on the United States economy and on Mr. Bush's public approval ratings.
The president told his audience at the Washington Hilton that at a recent lunch with soldiers at Fort Hood, near his ranch in Crawford, Tex., one of the troops asked him why he simply did not lower gas prices.
"Obviously, gasoline prices were on his mind," Mr. Bush said. "I said, I wish I could. If I could, I would. I explained to him that the higher cost of gasoline is a problem that has been years in the making."
"Over the past decade, our energy consumption has increased by more than 12 percent, while our domestic production has increased by less than one-half of 1 percent," he added. "It's now time to fix it."
The president listed several strategies to respond to soaring gasoline prices, but all would take years to realize.
(More ... The New York Times > Washington > Bush Urges More Nuclear Plants and Building Refineries on Bases) ¶ 08:45
Published: April 27, 2005
President Bush said today that he wanted the United States to build more nuclear power plants, turn unused military bases into refineries and raise sales of more efficient cars to make America less dependent on foreign fuel sources.
The president, in an address to a conference of the Small Business Administration in Washington, said that he knew that people were concerned about the rising prices of oil. It was the second time this week that he addressed the topic, a tacit acknowledgement that the issue is beginning to weigh on the United States economy and on Mr. Bush's public approval ratings.
The president told his audience at the Washington Hilton that at a recent lunch with soldiers at Fort Hood, near his ranch in Crawford, Tex., one of the troops asked him why he simply did not lower gas prices.
"Obviously, gasoline prices were on his mind," Mr. Bush said. "I said, I wish I could. If I could, I would. I explained to him that the higher cost of gasoline is a problem that has been years in the making."
"Over the past decade, our energy consumption has increased by more than 12 percent, while our domestic production has increased by less than one-half of 1 percent," he added. "It's now time to fix it."
The president listed several strategies to respond to soaring gasoline prices, but all would take years to realize.
(More ... The New York Times > Washington > Bush Urges More Nuclear Plants and Building Refineries on Bases) ¶ 08:45
