For Immediate Release
June 28, 2001

For More Information Contact:
David Willett, 202-675-6698

President Bush Distracting Public from Real Energy Plan

Washington, DC - The Sierra Club dismissed President Bush's energy
efficiency photo-op today as another attempt to confuse the public about
the real focus of his energy plan.   While the President might be touring
examples of the kinds of energy efficiency we need, the core of the energy
plan he is submitting to Congress today depends on increased use of
unreliable, unsafe and expensive fossil fuels and nuclear energy.   Today's
announcement by President Bush simply restores funding for renewable energy
to the levels in place before the President recommended cuts.

"The President seems fixated on vampires, but he's ignoring the monster
trucks that guzzle our gasoline and driving a stake through the heart of
the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge," said Carl Pope, Executive Director of
the Sierra Club.  "The technology exists to build cars and SUVs that go
further on a gallon of gas.  But instead of telling Detroit to get the
technology off their shelves and into engines, the President is dragging
his feet.  Rather than steering us to energy independence, the President
refuses to make gas guzzling a thing of the past.

"President Bush is trying to distract attention away from his overall
energy plan, which drills, digs, destroys and pollutes, but doesn't solve
our energy needs," Pope continued.  "As he submits his plan to Congress, it
would be more honest for President Bush to stand in front of old, dirty
power plants or gas-guzzling SUVs.  The President's plan means more
pollution, more global warming, and fewer wild places for our families to
explore and enjoy.  Instead, Americans want a balanced energy plan that
gives us quicker, cleaner, cheaper and safer energy solutions. We can have
clean energy and a healthy environment."

While promoting funding for renewable energy is laudable, the Bush energy
plan still focuses too heavily on the wrong choices--to produce more coal,
oil, gas, and nuclear power--with insufficient emphasis on energy
efficiency and cleaner alternatives.  And although the fuel-cell technology
the President viewed today will reduce our dependence on fossil fuels that
cause global warming in the future, we could be working on that goal right
now by increasing fuel economy for all cars and light trucks.

President Bush's Energy Plan recognizes that fuel economy has fallen to a
20-year low, yet calls for a study, not action. Raising fuel economy
standards to 40 miles per gallon would save Americans money and slash the
amount of carbon pollution emitted from cars and light trucks, which
contributes to global warming. With today's technologies more efficient
engines, transmissions, hybrid gasoline-electric systems, and better
aerodynamics the automakers could make cars and light trucks that go
further on a gallon of gas. Congress set the current 27.5 mpg fuel economy
standard for cars in 1975 and has not changed the standard since.

 "The biggest single step we can take to curb global warming and save
energy is to make all cars and light trucks go further on a gallon of gas,"
continued Pope. "If we were making the right choices for increased
efficiency, conservation and renewable energy, we wouldn't need the extra
oil rigs and power plants President Bush proposes."

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