For Immediate Release
July 11, 2006

Setting the Record Straight: President Bush's Strong Record of Addressing Climate Change

White House News

      In Focus: Environment
      Setting the Record Straight

The Washington Post: "The Administration Has Not Taken The Steps Necessary To Limit Greenhouse Gas Emissions, Barring Some Miraculous Technological Breakthrough."  "Aside from modestly raising fuel economy standards, it has not created a regulatory climate favorable to carbon reductions either in vehicles or in power plants."  (Editorial, "A Sorry Record," The Washington Post, 7/11/06)

The Administration Is On Track To Meet President Bush's 2002 Commitment To Cut Our Nation's Greenhouse Gas Intensity By 18 Percent By 2012.  U.S. greenhouse gas intensity – the amount emitted per unit of economic activity – declined by 2.0 percent in 2003 and by 2.5 percent in 2004.

From 2001 To The End Of 2006, The Federal Government Will Have Devoted Over $29 Billion To Climate Programs, More Than Any Other Nation.  The President’s 2007 Budget proposes $6.5 billion for climate change activities.

Not Waiting For A "Miraculous" Breakthrough, The Administration Has Implemented More Than 60 Voluntary, Incentive-Based, And Mandatory Programs To Deploy Cleaner, More Efficient Energy Technologies At Home And Around The World.

In His State Of The Union Address, President Bush Announced The Advanced Energy Initiative (AEI), Which Proposes A 22 Percent Increase In Funding For Clean Energy Technology Research At The Department Of Energy.

• The AEI Supports New Biofuels Such As Cellulosic Ethanol And Bio-Diesel.  These fuels could help reduce our dependence on foreign sources of oil and lead to substantial reductions in future air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions.

• The AEI Increases Investments In Zero-Emission Coal-Fired Plants, Revolutionary Solar And Wind Technologies, And Clean, Safe Nuclear Energy.  It will also improve batteries for hybrid and plug-in hybrid vehicles and accelerate the development of zero-emission cars that run on hydrogen.

President Bush Is Helping Expand America's Use Of Zero-Emission Nuclear Power.  Without nuclear energy, carbon dioxide emissions would have been 28 percent greater in the electricity industry in 2004, and America would have an additional 700 million tons a year of carbon dioxide.

• The Energy Bill Signed By The President In August 2005 Provides Loan Incentives, Production Tax Credits, And Federal Risk Insurance For Builders Of New Nuclear Plants. 

• The Bush Administration Has Launched The Nuclear Power 2010 Initiative – A $1.1 Billion Partnership Between The U.S. Government And Industry To Facilitate New Plant Orders. 

Under The President's Coal Research Initiative, The President Is Fulfilling His 2000 Pledge To Commit $2 Billion Over 10 Years To Advance Clean Coal Technology. 

The U.S. Is Leading The Global Effort To Promote Clean Development, Enhance Energy Security, And Reduce Harmful Air Pollution Worldwide.  Multilaterally, the U.S. provides the most funding of any country for activities under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC).

• In June 2005, The President Announced The Asia-Pacific Partnership On Clean Development And Climate, A U.S.-Led Partnership With China, India, South Korea, Australia, And Japan.  The President’s 2007 Budget request includes $52 million for this partnership.

• In July 2004, The U.S. And Major International Partners Formed The Methane To Markets Partnership.  The U.S. will commit up to $53 million to this Partnership through 2009 to work with the private sector to share and expand the use of profitable technologies to capture methane emissions that are now wasted in the course of industrial processes and use them as a new energy source.

Since 2003, The Bush Administration Has Finalized Two Sets Of Regulations Requiring A Combined 15 Percent Increase In The Fuel Economy Of Large SUVs And Light Trucks.  These increases were the first in over a decade and for the first time ever require large Sport Utility Vehicles to meet the standards.  President Bush has asked Congress for the authority to take similar action for passenger cars.

In 2005, The President Signed The Energy Bill, Which Includes 16 New Appliance Efficiency Mandates And A 7 Billion Gallon Renewable Fuel Requirement.  The Administration has also supported mandatory measures more appropriately taken at the State level, such as renewable portfolio standards and building codes.

The Washington Post:  The Administration "Has Resisted Taxing Carbon Use, Preferring Instead To Provide Incentives For Oil And Gas Extraction." 

The Administration Has Opposed Tax Incentives For Oil And Gas Extraction.  In his 2007 Budget and again in April 2006, President Bush called for the elimination of about $2 billion in tax incentives for oil and gas that were included in the Energy Policy Act of 2005.

The Washington Post: "Investment [In New Technologies] Is More Likely To Pay Off If Government Creates Incentives And Then Lets The Market Choose The Most Promising Technologies."

The Energy Bill Signed By The President In 2005 Provides New Performance-Based Tax Credits Of Up To $3,400 For The Most Highly Fuel Efficient Vehicles.  Tax credits are extended to vehicles such as hybrids and clean diesel without preference for a particular technology.

The Energy Bill, In Combination With Existing Law, Provides $5 Billion Over Five Years In Tax Incentives To Encourage Investments In Energy Efficiency And Alternative Renewable Energy Sources. 

The Farm Bill Signed By The President In May 2002 Provides Nearly $40 Billion In Funding Over Ten Years For Conservation On Working Lands. The Department of Agriculture (USDA) will provide targeted incentives to encourage wider use of land management practices that remove carbon from the atmosphere or reduce emissions of greenhouse gases.  

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