Message of the Day from George W. Bush

www.GeorgeWBush.com Sign Up For The Bush ETrain VIDEO: View My Opening Statement (Real Player) WHAT POWERS THE INTERNET On Energy And The New Economy, Bush Gets It I'm in Huntington, West Virginia today...making my way to Boston for tomorrow's televised debate... ...and warming up with a campaign rally and a few comments about our energy problems. Today, Americans are worried about energy -- rightly so. The president has warned of a recession...Recessions have been linked to energy shocks. (Governor Bush described the energy problem while in Saginaw, Michigan three days ago.) Here on the Internet, I want to remind my opponent -- and you, too -- that our New Economy depends on electricity, and electricity depends on coal. Some might think that coal is a little old-fashioned, but they're wrong. It actually powers the Internet. I've got a plan to build our nation's long-term energy security and reduce our dependence on foreign sources. The Vice President says he likes the New Economy -- but he clearly doesn't like the energy that makes this economy run. He's crazy about the electric car -- but not so crazy about electricity itself. He says he's a friend of the coal miner -- but he doesn't like the job they do. We are paying a steep price for seven and a half years without an energy policy. On Election Day, we can put our country on a new and better course. (Coal fuels the Internet and the Internet is home to the Bush E-Train. Get on board!)   (10/02/00)

Rebuttal from Al Gore: Gore Opposes Bush's Plans To Let Big Oil Drill In Alaska "I believe that we shouldn't invade precious environmental treasures like the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge -- in the pursuit of an energy solution that would take years to implement, and in the end, would yield just months of increased oil supply." -- Al Gore Al Gore spoke on Friday in Maryland and pledged to make the right choices to ensure an affordable energy supply and protect the environment. Gore would prohibit oil companies from drilling in Alaska's Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. Instead of offering real policies to improve energy security and protect the environment, George W. Bush and Dick Cheney would let oil companies drill in Alaska's wildlife preserve -- one of the country's natural treasures. Alaska's Arctic National Wildlife Refuge consists of 19 million acres of land that is home to abundant wildlife and a pristine environment. This natural treasure is one of the country's last undisturbed ecosystems. Bush's shortsighted energy plan would endanger this natural treasure, while failing to have any impact on oil prices for years -- possibly a decade. In fact, it could take oil companies looking to boost their profits between seven and 12 years to obtain leases to drill in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. Once drilling starts, legions of wildlife would be disturbed. The wildlife refuge's coastal plain -- where drilling would occur -- is home to caribou, polar bears, grizzlies and black bear, dall sheep, wolves and moose. Gore's Long-Term Energy Policy "If we do things right -- if we make responsible choices -- if we invest in the job-creating, environment-protecting technology of the future -- then we can have a cleaner air, more reliable energy, and a more prosperous economy all at the same time. And I tell you that is a future worth fighting for." -- Al Gore To reduce dependence on foreign oil and protect the environment for generations to come, Gore would work to create: Fuel-efficient vehicles and homes: Gore would give families up to $6,000 to purchase more fuel-efficient cars and Sport Utility Vehicles (SUVs), along with other tax breaks for the purchase of energy-efficient vehicles, building equipment and homes. Alternative transportation: Gore would make new investments in light rail systems, cleaner buses and high-speed trains that would not only help end the nation's dependence on foreign oil, but also cut traffic and reduce smog. Investment in new technology: Gore would expand investment in the Small Business Innovation Research Program (SBIR) and the Advance Technology Program (ATP) to help bring new energy-efficient and environmental technologies to the marketplace. Through the "Technologies for Tomorrow" challenge, Gore would work with businesses to encourage innovative solutions with new tax incentives. Tax cuts to promote alternative energy sources. Gore would double the tax credit for operating costs associated with generating electrical energy through wind, biomass and other methods. The Record on Energy Security and Protecting the Environment Since his time in the Senate, Gore has been recognized as a leader on energy policy and the environment. He launched the administration's Livable Communities initiative to provide citizens and communities with tools to stimulate growth, ease traffic congestion and clean up our air and water. Along with the Big Three automakers, Gore was instrumental in launching the Partnership for a New Generation of Vehicles that has helped spur new technologies such as hybrid electric and gas-powered engines, so that cars use less gas and create less pollution. As governor of Texas, Bush has sided with the oil industry and other big polluters against environmental protections. In 1997, he asked representatives of the oil industry and other polluting industries to draft the state's pollution regulations and make them voluntary. Meanwhile, almost 230,000 children in seven urban Texas counties may be exposed to as much as 295,000 tons of air pollution each year because they attend schools within two miles of old industrial plants.