George W. Bush

“ And across our nation, small businesses like Virginia BioDiesel are taking risks and are developing innovative products. As a matter of fact, small businesses create most of the new jobs in America. I don't know if you know that or not, but 70 percent of new jobs in this country are created by small businesses and entrepreneurs. And I'm pleased to report that the small business sector of America is strong today. As a matter of fact, over the last two years we have added 3.5 million new jobs. More Americans are working today than ever in our nation's history. ”

“ Our clean diesel rules will reduce air pollution from diesel engines by about 90 percent, and reduce the sulfur content of diesel fuel by more than 95 percent.
Today I saw a diesel-powered truck that can get up to 30 percent better fuel economy than gasoline-powered vehicles, without the harmful emissions of past diesels. I mean, the fellow got in the truck and cranked it up, and another man got on the ladder, and he put the white handkerchief by the emissions port, and the white handkerchief remained white. In other words, technology is changing the world. Our engines are becoming cleaner. ”

“ We must be better conservers. We must produce and refine more crude oil here in America. We must help countries like India and China to reduce their demand for crude oil. And we've got to develop new fuels like biodiesel and ethanol as alternatives to diesel and gasoline.
Americans have been waiting long enough for a strategy. It is time to deliver an effective, common-sense energy strategy for the 21st strategy. And that's what I want to talk to you about today. The first step toward making America less dependent on foreign oil is to improve fuel conservation and efficiency. ”

“ All this modernization of our electricity grid is contained in the electricity title in the energy bill I submitted to the United States Congress.
To power our growing economy, we also need to generate more electricity. Electricity comes from three principal sources — coal and natural gas and nuclear power. To ensure that electricity is affordable and reliable, America must improve our use of all three. Coal is our nation's most abundant energy resource, and it provides about half of your electricity here in Virginia. ”

“ No doubt in my mind the innovative spirit of this country is going to make certain that our children and grandchildren will grow up in a more secure America, an America less dependent on foreign sources of oil. And the first place to start is for the United States Congress to pass that bill, based upon a comprehensive strategy that's going to work on behalf of this country. ”

“ I appreciate the folks here at Virginia BioDiesel for showing me around. You know, I love the innovative spirit of our entrepreneurs in this country. And the folks here have got incredible vision and they're willing to take risk to innovate. What I think is interesting is they have combined farming and modern science, and by doing so, you're using one of the world's oldest industries to power some of the world's newest technologies. After all, they're taking soybeans and converting it to fuel and putting it into brand-new Caterpillar engines. ”

“ Like biodiesel, ethanol helps communities to meet clean air standards, farmers to find new markets for their products, and America to replace foreign crude oil with a renewable source grown right here in the nation's heartland. Together, ethanol and biodiesel present a tremendous opportunity to diversify our supply of fuel for cars and buses and trucks and heavy-duty vehicles. ”

“ You see, the high prices we face today have been decades in the making. Four years ago I laid out a comprehensive energy strategy to address our energy challenges. Yet Congress hasn't passed energy legislation. For the sake of the American consumers, it is time to confront our problems now, and not pass them on to future Congresses and future generations.
The increase in the price of crude oil is largely responsible for the higher gas prices and diesel prices that you're paying at the pump. ”

“ I've set big goals for our nation's energy policy, and I am confident our nation can meet those goals. Americans have a long history of overcoming problems through determination and through technology. Not long ago the prospect of running a car on fuel made from soybean oil seemed pretty unlikely. I imagine 30 years ago a politician saying, vote for me and I'll see to it that your car can run on soybean oil, wouldn't get very far. Here we are, standing in front of a refinery that makes it.
We've got a lot of innovators in America, just like the folks here at Virginia BioDiesel. ”

“ Other biodiesel refiners are making fuel from waste products like recycled cooking grease. Biodiesel can be used in any vehicle that runs on regular diesel, and delivers critical environmental and economic benefits.
Biodiesel burns more completely and produces less air pollution than gasoline or regular diesel. Biodiesel also reduces engine wear, and produces almost no sulfur emissions, which makes it a good choice for cities and states working to meet strict air quality standards. And every time we use home-grown biodiesel, we support American farmers, not foreign oil producers. ”

“ By far the most promising site for oil in America is the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge in Alaska. I want you all to hear the facts about what we're talking about. Technology now makes it possible to reach the oil reserves in ANWR by drilling on just 2,000 acres of the 19 million acres. Technology has advanced to the point where you can take a small portion — 2,000 acres — of this vast track of land and explore for oil in an environmentally sensitive way. ”

“ To help Virginia clean your air and keep your coal, Congress needs to get the Clear Skills bill to my desk this year.
Improving our electricity supply also means making better use of natural gas. It's an important power source for our farmers and manufacturers and homeowners. We need to increase environmentally responsible production of natural gas from federal lands. To further increase our natural gas supply, Congress needs to make clear federal authority to choose sites for new receiving terminals for liquified natural gas. ”

“ More Americans are realizing the benefits of biodiesel every year. In 1999, biodiesel producers sold about 500,000 gallons of fuel for the year. Last year, biodiesel sales totaled 30 million gallons. That's a sixtyfold increase in five years. More than 500 operators of major vehicle fleets now use biodiesel, including the Department of Defense and the National Park Service and James Madison University. The County of Arlington, Virginia, has converted its fleet of school buses to biodiesel. And Harrisonburg is using biodiesel in its city transit buses. ”

“ To ensure the electricity is delivered efficiently, Congress must make reliability standards for electric utilities mandatory, not optional. We've got modern interstate grids for our phone lines and highways. It is time to put practical law in place so we can have modern electricity grids, as well. ”

“ To meet our growing demand for gasoline, America now imports more than a million barrels of fully refined gasoline every day. That means about one of every nine gallons of gas you get in your pump is refined in a foreign country. To help secure our gasoline supply and lower prices at the pump, we need to encourage existing refineries like Yorktown to expand their capacity. ”

“ We're raising fuel economy standards for sport utility vehicles and vans and pickup trucks, starting with model year 2005. When these reasonable increases in mileage standards take full effect, they will save American drivers about 340,000 barrels of gasoline a day. ”

“ And to guarantee Americans have a secure and dignified retirement — if you're getting your check, you don't have anything to worry about on this issue. You need to worry about your children and your grandchildren when it comes to Social Security. ”

“ We're also working to provide other incentives to encourage new plant construction, such as federal insurance to protect the builders of the first four new plants against lawsuits and bureaucratic obstacles and other delays beyond their control. A secure energy future for this country must include safe and clean nuclear power. ”

“ As a matter of fact, we got coal reserves that will last us for 250 more years. But coal presents an environmental challenge. We know that. So I've asked Congress to provide more than $2 billion over 10 years for a coal research initiative, a program that will promote new technologies to remove virtually all pollutants from coal-fired power plants. ”

“ Many Americans remember the diesel cars of the 1970s — they made a lot of noise and they spewed a lot of black smoke. Advances in technology and new rules issued by my administration have allowed us to leave those days of diesel behind. ”

“ And secondly, we're going to work to ensure that every taxpayer dollar is spent wisely, or not at all. We'll continue to open up foreign markets to America's crops and products, and ensure a level playing field for American farmers and producers and workers. ”

“ My Clear Skies Initiative will also result in tens of billions of dollars in clean coal investments by private companies. It will help communities across the state meet stricter air quality standards. ”

“ These prices are making it more expensive for farmers to produce their crop, more difficult for businesses to create jobs.
Americans are concerned about high prices at the pump, and they're really concerned as they start making their travel plans, and I understand that. ”