Home | China | World | Business Bush Urges Senate to Pass Energy Plan Quickly TUE, FEB 26, 2002     U.S. President George W. Bush on Monday urged the Senate to pass his energy plan as quickly as possible as the Senate is ready to take up energy legislation this week. "I urge the United States Senate to pass a comprehensive energy plan quickly," Bush said. "The House has acted, and now the Senate must act. And the Congress needs to get a bill to my desk." Bush's plan to increase production, including opening Alaska's Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to oil exploration, have met with opposition from Democrats on Capitol Hill. Bush's energy plan has passed the Republican-controlled House of Representatives despite criticism from environmentalists and some Democrats that it relies too much on increased production and does little to encourage conservation and use of alternative fuels. Bush argued that his plan will help create jobs and reduce dependence on oil imports, saying that more than 50 percent of the oil used in the country is now imported. "Dependence can lead to price shocks and fuel shortages," Bush said. "And this dependence on foreign oil is a matter of national security. To put it bluntly, sometimes we rely upon energy sources from countries that don't particularly like us." Bush made the remarks as he inspected vehicles parked outside the White House that are either powered by fuel cells, which use hydrogen and do not produce tail-pipe emissions, or that run on a combination of gasoline and electricity -- so-called hybrid vehicles. The vehicles, made by General Motors, Ford and Daimler-Chrysler, are expected on the market in about two years. Two other hybrid cars, from Toyota and Honda, are already available. Editor:Liu Hongji Source:Xinhua Recommend to your friend email:    China Central Television,All Rights Reserved