Go easy on the gas, Bush tells US : Mail & Guardian Online
United States President George Bush is calling on Americans to conserve petrol by doing less driving, in the wake of the two hurricanes which have curtailed oil production and supply along the Gulf coast. He also issued a directive for federal agencies to reduce energy consumption, urging employees to share cars or use public transport.
Speaking after a briefing at the energy department in Washington, Bush said on Monday that it was up to all Americans to "pitch in" by being better conservers of energy: "I mean, people just need to recognise that these storms have caused disruption and that if they're able to maybe not drive ... on a trip that's not essential, that would be helpful.
"If it makes sense for the citizen out there to curtail non-essential travel, it darn sure makes sense for federal employees ... We can encourage employees to car pool or use mass transit, and we can shift peak electricity use to off-peak hours. There's ways for the federal government to lead when it comes to conservation," he said.
The White House said Bush had instructed agency and department heads that the federal government must "lead by example and further contribute to the relief effort by reducing its own fuel use during this difficult time".
He told the heads to report to him within 30 days, and describe the energy conservation steps they had taken. The White House added on Monday that it was also taking steps to reduce its own energy use -- for example, by looking at shortening Bush's motorcade, which typically has dozens of motorcycle outriders, several gas-guzzling vans, SUVs, Bush's limousine, and an identical limo put in as a decoy.
Fuel consumption is even higher on Bush's cross-country travels -- on Tuesday made his seventh trip to the Gulf since Katrina struck -- which include flights on Air Force One as well as helicopters for the president, his staff, secret service agents, and the press corps that accompanies him. The air force recently estimated fuel costs for Air Force One at $6 029 per hour. Bush was also said to be reminding staff to turn off lights.
But Republican leaders in Congress have infuriated environmental groups by pushing policies offering tax breaks to oil companies, and relaxing rules on drilling. "The hurricanes are being used as cover to attack vital environmental and health requirements before anybody realises what they are doing," said Frank O'Donnell, president of Clean Air Watch.
In Congress, Republicans prepared to move forward on Wednesday with energy legislation to provide tax breaks to oil companies engaged in refinery expansion and construction. More controversially, two House of Representative committees are expected to push forward with proposals -- blocked in the past because of environmental concerns -- to allow states to opt out of Congressional bans on coastal oil-drilling, and another proposal to allow drilling in the Arctic national refuge.
A spokesperson for the environmentalist Sierra Club said on Tuesday: "The Republican leadership in Congress is already using the tragedy of Katrina and Rita as an excuse to advance their narrow political agenda and renew calls for another polluting energy bill." Other groups criticised Bush for asking for sacrifices on fuel use when the administration failed to make the automotive industry raise fuel economy standards.
Meanwhile, the former head of Fema, the federal emergency management agency, on Tuesday defended his role in responding to Katrina, and put much of the blame for coordination failures on Louisiana's Governor, Kathleen Blanco, and New Orleans' Mayor, Ray Nagin. "My biggest mistake was not recognising by Saturday [two days before the hurricane struck] that Louisiana was dysfunctional," Michael Brown told a special Congressional panel.
Other voices: 'He's the one in a big old jetplane'
It don't cut no ice with me. Look at him [George Bush], he rides around in that damned big old jetplane [Air Force One] and that helicopter [Marine One]. How much damned fuel is he conserving doing that?
He's going back down to Louisiana today, but if he really wanted to make a difference, why doesn't he stay here and stop getting in the way? He's like a big old oil baron anyway. What does he care? Right now I think he's just trying to raise his own image through everybody else's pockets.
What am I gonna do? I have to get to work. I drive in from Gettysburg every day, near enough a 100-mile (160km) round trip, and there ain't no other way I'm going to get here. But the price of gas is ridiculous. It must be a dollar more than it was this time last year. You see these people round here, these yuppies in their big old SUVs cutting you up when they go round corners, I can see the case for making them conserve fuel. But they won't. They can afford it. Even if gas goes up to $5 a gallon, they'll complain about it, but they'll still pay for it.