Power failure (Editorial)

April 26, 2001

While the Bush administration talks of the need for a "national energy policy" to deal with the fuel supply crisis and rising electricity costs, it is slashing spending for important research and development in the energy sector and urging oil and gas development in places like the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, the Rockies and even our Great Lakes. President George W. Bush has proposed gutting research on energy efficiency, alternative fuels and renewable energy by $190 million. These technologies hold the promise of reducing U.S. dependence on foreign oil, lowering energy costs and protecting the environment. In addition, his budget proposal links increased funding for renewable energy technologies to opening the Arctic refuge to oil drilling. Slashing funding for renewable energy research, while advocating increased drilling on key federal lands, is not the answer to America's energy dilemma. Michiganians and the rest of the nation need and deserve a responsible energy policy that balances the use of fossil fuels with conservation and alternative and renewable fuels.

Jeff Irwin
League of Conservation Voters, Ann Arbor