President Bush State of the Union: ENERGY

AAEA President Norris McDonald attended a briefing this morning at the White House where administration officials outlined many of the policy initiatives President Bush will talk about during his State of the Union speech tonight. The theme of the energy portion of the speech is: Twenty In Ten: Strengthening America's Energy Security. President Bush will challenge America to reach his Twenty In Ten Goal by:

1) Increasing The Supply Of Renewable And Alternative Fuels By Setting A Mandatory Fuels Standard To Require 35 Billion Gallons Of Renewable And Alternative Fuels In 2017 – Nearly Five Times The 2012 Target Now In Law. In 2017, this will displace 15 percent of projected annual gasoline use.

2) Reforming And Modernizing Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) Standards For Cars And Extending The Current Light Truck Rule. In 2017, this will reduce projected annual gasoline use by up to 8.5 billion gallons, a further 5 percent reduction that, in combination with increasing the supply of renewable and alternative fuels, will bring the total reduction in projected annual gasoline use to 20 percent.

Additional highlights include: Help Confront Climate Change By Stopping The Projected Growth Of Carbon Dioxide Emissions From Cars, Light Trucks, And SUVs Within 10 Years, Stepping Up Domestic Oil Production, Doubling The Current Capacity Of The Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR) To 1.5 Billion Barrels By 2027, Facilitating The Growth Of Renewable And Alternative Fuel Sources By Increasing The Size And Expanding The Scope Of The Current Renewable Fuel Standard, Reducing Gasoline Consumption Through Increasing Vehicle Efficiency, Energy Policy Act Implementation, Advanced Energy Initiative, Stopping The Projected Growth Of Carbon Dioxide Emissions From Cars, Light Trucks, And SUVs Within 10 Years.