Any comprehensive energy legislation that Congress sends to the White House must meet “four important objectives,” including greater use of technology, increased domestic production, supply diversity and a more reliable transmission-pipeline system, President Bush said in his Saturday radio address to the nation.

House energy legislation, which was passed out of four committees last week, includes some of the items on the president’s wish list. The House is expected to take up the bill on the floor either Wednesday or Thursday, according to House Majority Leader Tom Delay’s (R-TX) office.

Foremost, “the energy bill must encourage the use of technology to improve conservation. We must find smarter ways to meet our energy needs, and we must encourage Americans to make better choices about energy consumption. We must also continue to invest in research, so we will develop the technologies that would allow us to conserve more,” Bush said.

“Second the energy bill must encourage more production at home in environmentally sensitive ways. Over the past three years, America’s energy consumption has increased by about 4%, while our domestic energy production has increased by [only] one percent. That means more of our energy is coming from abroad.”

Third, the energy measure “must diversify our energy supply by developing alternative sources of energy like ethanol or biodiesel. We need to promote safe, clean nuclear power…Congress should provide tax credits for renewable power sources such as wind, solar and landfill gas. We must also continue our clear coal technology projects so that we can use the plentiful source of coal in an environmentally friendly way. The bill must also support pollution-free cars and trucks, power by hydrogen fuel cells instead of gasoline,” the president said.

Lastly, Bush called for a more reliable energy infrastructure. “In some parts of the country, our transmission lines and pipelines are decades older than the homes and businesses they supply. Many of them are increasingly vulnerable to events that can interrupt and shut down power in entire regions of the country. We must modernize our infrastructure.”

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