Go easy on the gas: Bush

Do as I say not as I do, Nobody tells me what to do


Geoff Elliott, Washington correspondent
September 28, 2005
US President George W.Bush yesterday urged Americans to conserve petrol by driving less, after worse-than-expected damage to the country's oil industry by Hurricane Rita.

Hurricanes Rita - and Katrina three weeks before it - knocked out up to a quarter of US refining capacity, and all offshore oil production in the Gulf of Mexico is shut down.

It prompted Mr Bush's call for restraint on petrol consumption in a plea not seen from a US president since Democrat Jimmy Carter fretted in 1970s at the height of the oil crisis.

"We can all pitch in by being better conservers of energy," Mr Bush said in Washington.

"People just need to recognise that the storms have caused disruption."

If Americans were able to avoid going "on a trip that's not essential, that would be helpful".

To reinforce that request, Mr Bush announced he had directed federal agencies nationwide to cut back on travel.

"(If) it makes sense for the citizen out there to curtail non-essential travel, it darn sure makes sense for federal employees," he said.

"We can encourage employees to car-pool or use mass transit, and we can shift peak electricity use to off-peak hours as a way for the federal Government to lead when it comes to conservation."

Mr Bush's comments echoed the position of Exxon Mobil, the world's largest publicly traded oil company, which has been urging motorists through newspaper advertisements to "use fuel wisely". It suggested that drivers "conserve fuel by reducing trips" and "defer discretionary purchases to ease supply pressures".

The US Energy Department said on Monday that Katrina and Rita together had cut the nation's refining capacity by 25 per cent.

It is expected that although Texas and Louisiana facilities will come back on line soon, at least 10per cent of US refining capacity will be down for weeks or even months.

Mr Bush, repeating a pledge in the days after Hurricane Katrina, said he was willing to source more oil from the federal Government's emergency reserves to boost energy supplies, which the administration hopes will take some of the heat out of prices. About 13.2 million barrels of oil have already been tapped.

Petrol prices in the US had slipped back from record highs of more than $US3 a gallon ($1.04 a litre) after Hurricane Katrina to about $US2.75 on the weekend, but jumped again yesterday to $US2.80 as Mr Bush warned of the difficulties ahead.

Petrol prices are up about 50per cent on a year ago in the US, correlating with a slump over that period in Mr Bush's approval ratings.

And there were warnings yesterday of more bad news ahead as the higher oil and gas prices led to Americans paying sharply higher heating bills this winter.

The New York Times said Mr Bush's comments, while similar to remarks he made shortly after the disruption from Hurricane Katrina pushed petrol prices sharply higher, were particularly notable because the administration has long emphasised new production over conservation.

It had also opted not to impose better fuel consumption standards on car-makers.

The paper noted that in 2001, Vice-President Dick Cheney said: "Conservation may be a sign of personal virtue, but it cannot be the basis of a sound energy policy."

Also that year, Ari Fleischer, then Mr Bush's press secretary, had responded to a question about reducing American energy consumption by saying, "That's a big no".

"The President believes that it's an American way of life," Mr Fleischer said.

Mr Bush, speaking yesterday after he was briefed at the Energy Department, had not used the dour tone or cardigan-wearing imagery that proved politically deadly for Jimmy Carter during the oil crisis of the 1970s, the paper said.

Nor did Mr Bush propose new policies to encourage conservation. But he was more explicit than in the past that Americans should cut back.

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Category: president bush
AUG
25
2005

What Makes W. Run?

The AP sits down and tries to reckon with how much gas is involved in keeping President Bush in motion, what with the limos, the Crawford pick-up and that big Air Force plane he tools around in. The White House releases no official fuel-consumption figures for POTUS, but it does seem to add up:

Getting President Bush from here to there consumes an enormous amount of fuel, whether he's aboard Air Force One, riding in a helicopter or on the ground in a heavily armored limousine. The bill gets steeper every day as the White House is rocked by the same energy prices as regular drivers. . . . . Almost every vehicle Bush uses is custom-made to add security and communications capabilities, and the heavier weight of these guzzlers further drives up gas and jet fuel costs.

And all that is to say nothing, of course, of what it costs to rent an aircraft carrier to land on when he feels like proclaiming victory in one of those war thingamees. . . . -- HOLLY MARTINS

Presidential Gas Bill Gets Steeper

Bush burns up fuel when he travels

Washington: President George W. Bush pushed Americans on to reduce energy consumption. Orders were issued to White House staff to restrict non-essential travel, and the administration planned to reduce the size of the Bush motorcade. The following is a look at the fuel efficiency of presidential travel.

In the skies, Air Force One -- a four-engine Boeing 747-200B -- can hold 53,600 gallons of jet fuel, which currently costs $1.57 per gallon at a military rate or $83,200 to fill it up. The blue-and-white jumbo jet costs more than $6,000 per hour to fly, according to the Air Force. It can fly nearly 8,000 miles (12,800 km) without stopping. Bush also travels by helicopter between airports and his destination.

Bush's motorcade is a train of fuel inefficiency. Bush rides in high style -- a jet black 2006 Cadillac DTS limousine made by General Motors. The vehicle gets worse gas mileage than a standard DTS because of its bigger dimensions and added weight from armor and other extras required for security. The standard floor model gets about 22 miles per gallon.

Several gas-guzzling sport utility vehicles and vans packed with security agents, presidential aides and media speed along behind him on every trip. The motorcade numbered about a dozen vehicles during Bush's trip to Beaumont, Texas, on Tuesday but can run more than 20 vehicles for some trips.

Bush also drives a white 2001 Ford F-250 pickup on his ranch in Texas, but that vehicle is fueled by propane. The Bush administration has proposed new fuel economy standards that critics say could trigger growth in production of big SUVs and pickups, helping US manufacturers that make those vehicles.


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