President Bush used his State of the Union address Tuesday to propose a 20 percent cut in U.S. gasoline consumption and a doubling of the nation’s strategic oil reserve.
“For too long our nation has been dependent on foreign oil,” he told a joint session of Congress now controlled by Democrats. “This dependence leaves us more vulnerable to hostile regimes and to terrorists who could cause huge disruptions of oil shipments, raise the price of oil, and do great harm to our economy.”
To prevent such a scenario, Bush called on Americans to cut their consumption of gasoline by 20 percent over the next 10 years, a proposal he called “20 in 10.” The plan entails a five-fold increase in the use of alternative fuels and a tightening of federal fuel economy standards for cars.
At the same time, Bush called on Congress to step up production of domestic oil and gas without harming the environment. And he vowed to double the nation’s Strategic Petroleum Reserve to 1.5 billion gallons.
The energy proposals were the most ambitious in a series of domestic initiatives that consumed half the president’s annual address, his sixth since taking office. Having already given a detailed speech on Iraq less than two weeks earlier, Bush opted to tout domestic initiatives Tuesday that he hopes will be accepted by newly empoweredcongressional Democrats.
“Congress has changed, but our responsibilities have not,” the president said. “We are not the first to come here with government divided and uncertainty in the air. Like many before us, we can work through our differences, and achieve big things for the American people.”
According to Bush, these include a proposed tax increase on Americans who receive expensive, company-sponsored health insurance. The revenues would be used to grant tax breaks to less affluent workers who purchase their own health insurance.
The president also called on Congress to grant legal status to illegal immigrants and to renew his signature education reform, the No Child Left Behind Act.
