President Bush visited Columbus, Ohio today and spoke at the Franklin County Veterans Memorial after visiting Battelle Columbus to see some innovations in energy technology.

In his speech, the president promoted his energy plan and kept alive the muddling of foreign oil and electric power issues. His policy statements were nothing new, urging the passage of the Energy Policy Act and Clear Skies Initiative, as he did in his State of the Union speech last month.

Bush welcomed business and political leaders in the audience, saying, "This is a subject that should interest you, whether or not we've got the capability of working together to come up with a national energy plan."

The president talked about energy for two thirds of his 35-minute speech, habitually interchanging definitions of "energy" between transportation fuel and electrons.

"Higher prices at the gas pump and rising home heating bills and the possibility of blackout are legitimate concerns for all Americans," he said. "It is difficult for entrepreneurs to risk capital when they cannot predict the size of next month's energy bill." The president referred to the infamous 2001 Cheney Task Force on Energy, saying that, at that time, "we had an unreliable power grid, and we were dependent on foreign energy." One of the solutions recommended by the Task Force, he said, was to fill the Strategic Petroleum Reserve.

The president touched the four pillars of his proposed energy plan -- increasing conservation, increasing domestic production, diversifying the energy supply, and modernizing the grid -- promising to meanwhile uphold his responsibility to be a good steward of the environment.

Conservation and efficiency
"The first objective of a sound energy bill is to encourage the use of technology to improve energy conservation," Bush said. "If you want to become less dependant on foreign sources of energy, we've got to be better conservers of energy."

Recounting his earlier visit to Battelle, Bush told of an efficient water heater than extracts heat from the air and converts it into energy. Continuing on the theme of conservation, he referred to research into lighter automobile parts, flat panel computer screens, new traffic signals and super efficient refrigerators. He encouraged the audience to look for the Energy Star label when shopping.

"We want to help you make good choices so you become better conservers of energy," Bush said, explaining how smart meters could show consumers how much energy they are using and calculate what that energy will cost them.

President Bush went on to link coal with independence from foreign oil.

"Over the past three years, America's energy consumption has increased by more than three percent, yet our domestic energy production has decreased by two percent. That means relying more on energy from foreign countries. That's what that means," the President said.

He pointed out that the US imports more than half its oil and that dependence is growing, as is the reliance on imported natural gas. Natural gas was the source of 16 percent of the electricity generated in the US in 2003, up one percentage point from 1980 levels. Most natural gas supplies are currently domestic, but increasing shipments of liquefied natural gas could change that.

"Increasing our energy security begins with a firm commitment to America's most abundant energy source, and that is coal," Bush said, reminding Ohioans that their state is highly dependent on coal for electricity. The high levels of sulfur in the local coal makes it harder for the state to meet strict air quality standards. The President made reference to funding for research into coal gasification and for the FutureGen Project.

"Most people have said burning coal without creating pollution was as likely as the Red Sox winning the World Series. Anything is possible," he said. "Clean coal technology will advance, and when it does, our society will be better off. We'll become less dependent on foreign sources of energy."

Domestic energy supplies
The President stressed the need to open the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to exploration for oil and natural gas. He cited a Department of Interior estimate that 10 billion barrels of oil could be recovered from ANWR.

Ten million barrels would be US$540 billion at today's oil prices, and less than the amount of oil the US consumes in 18 months. Production would take several years to begin flowing at less than a million barrels a day, about five percent of today's US consumption.

"Congress needs to look at the science and look at the facts and send me a bill that includes exploration in ANWR for the sake of our country," Bush said.

Alternative energy
"To create more energy choices, Congress should provide tax credits for renewable power sources such as wind and solar and landfill gas," Bush said, adding that ethanol and biodiesel should also be supported. "We're going to continue to figure out ways to grow our way out of dependence on foreign oil."

The President promoted nuclear power as an alternative energy source, saying that it can generate large amounts of electricity without emitting greenhouse gases. He responded to public concerns about safety by saying that nuclear power is reliable and secure. He touted the proposed Nuclear Power 2010 program that streamlines licensing of new nuclear plants.

Mr. Bush called the hydrogen fuel initiative a vital energy project, making reference to the fuel cell he saw at Battelle earlier in the day. The fuel cell is designed to run electronics in military vehicles. "The world is changing because we're thinking differently," he said.

Grid upgrades
The final objective, the President said, is to upgrade the electric grid. He reminded the audience of the consequences of bottlenecks and unreliable transmission lines: "darkness across the map."

"Congress can solve these problems in a few simple ways," Bush said. "We need to repeal the outdated rules that discourage investment in new power infrastructure," he continued, referring to the PUHCA repeal included in proposed energy legislation. He also mentioned the need for federal officials to have the authority to site new power lines.

"Listen," he said, "we've got modern interstate grids for phone. We've got a modern connection with our highways. America needs a modern electricity grid, too, in order to make sure that we can compete in a global economy, in order to make sure people can find work."

President Bush wrapped up the speech with his innovative contingency plan for the Clear Skies Initiative that stalled in committee as he spoke.

"Congress is debating the Clear Skies Initiative, but I'm going to act to get results," he said. "Soon the Environmental Protection Agency will finalize two rules similar to the Clear Skies Initiative," the President explained, referring to the Clean Air Interstate Rule and the Clean Air Mercury Rule that restrict power plant pollution, and provide a national cap on mercury emissions from power plants, respectively.

"History has shown us that American innovation has never been short of supply. I mean, we're an innovative society," President Bush concluded. "There's nothing America can't achieve when we put our mind to it."