‘Drill, Dig, Destroy and Pollute’

Enviros Blast Bush ‘Conservation’ Measures

Environment News Service

Enviros blasted Bush’s recently revealed plans to “set an example” for conservation efforts nationwide by cutting energy use at the White House. After completing a review of its energy use, the White House concluded it could cut back by an estimated 25 to 35 percent. But the Sierra Club dismissed Bush’s announcements as “another attempt to confuse the public about the real focus of his energy plan”—fossil fuels and nuclear energy.

The President ordered staff to turn out lights and turn up airconditioning whenever leaving the office. Computer monitors are to be turned off each evening, and computers are to be shut down whenever they won’t be used for two or more days. Motion switches are to be installed for lights in conference rooms, and building engineers will regulate temperatures based on humidity as well as ambient temperature. Other steps include reducing use of exterior lighting and portable heaters, and lowering thermostats on hot water heaters.

For the rest of the nation, President Bush said the Department of Energy is offering $85.7 million in federal grants to “accelerate the development of fuel cells, advanced engines, hydro-technology and efficient appliances for American consumers.”

Bush also targeted home appliances known as “vampires,” which consume small amounts of energy even when they are not turned on. These include computers, televisions, VCRs, cellular phone chargers and other devices that are maintained in a low powered “ready mode.”

“The vampire devices use about four percent of the electricity in the average home,” Bush said, amounting to the energy output of about 26 power plants across the nation. The government will begin to purchase appliances using only one watt of energy while turned off, instead of the average four or seven watts, Bush said.

But the Sierra Club exposed the real issues that Bush is obfuscating: “The President seems fixated on vampires, but he’s ignoring the monster trucks that guzzle our gasoline and driving a stake through the heart of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge,” said Carl Pope, executive director of the Sierra Club. “The technology exists to build cars and SUVs that go further on a gallon of gas. But instead of telling Detroit to get the technology off their shelves and into engines, the President is dragging his feet. Rather than steering us to energy independence, the President refuses to make gas guzzling a thing of the past.