04.20.05

Sen. Maria Cantwell on President Bush's Remarks on Energy Dependence

WASHINGTON , D.C. – Today Sen. Maria Cantwell (D-WA), a member of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, responded to President Bush's speech on energy solutions.

"Today, the President said he'd like to wave a magic wand to lower our nation's gas prices. If his goal is to lower gas prices, the President should wave his magic wand and make the Republican energy plan disappear. The Administration's own economists have concluded that the Republican energy legislation would have a ‘negligible' impact on energy prices, production and imports. Those same economists concluded the Republican plan would reduce American oil consumption a mere 0.1 percent by 2025. If the goal is really to reduce our dependence on foreign oil, then we need to go back to the drawing board.

"President Bush also suggested drilling in the Arctic is just the beginning. Not only is that bad policy, it's a bad answer. The U.S. sits on just 3 percent of the world's known oil reserves. It's mathematically impossible for us to drill our way to energy independence.

“It's time to go back to the drawing board and rely on American ingenuity and innovative solutions rather than old school tactics to help lower gas prices and improve our nation's security.”

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