Bush Administration Says “Yes” to Affordable Energy for America
Washington, DC, May 17, 2001— The Competitive Enterprise Institute commends the Bush administration’s energy plan announced today for emphasizing the need for plentiful, affordable energy for American consumers. <?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = “urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office” />
“The energy plan released today represents an important move away from the disastrous anti-energy policies of the last decade,” said Myron Ebell, director of global warming and international environmental policy at CEI. “The Bush energy plan will turn America away from the increasingly painful path of sky-high gas prices, exorbitant heating and cooling bills, and rolling blackouts. The long-range shift from forcing Americans to use less energy to allowing the nation’s suppliers to produce more energy is good news for America’s working families.”
“The Administration should be congratulated for not giving in to the all-too-common idea that using energy is a sin, something to feel guilty about,” said CEI president Fred L. Smith, Jr. “While no one wants to see energy being wasted, the safety and comfort that Americans enjoy every day depends on allowing a steady flow of affordable energy to Americans.”
While the structural reforms being proposed for utility regulation are extremely encouraging, not every aspect of the plan is compatible with free-market ideas. The proposal to increase subsidies for inefficient fuels and research designed to benefit particular industries are both the least effective and the most costly aspects of the plan.
“A successful energy plan must concentrate on removing barriers to production across the board and leave the relatively expensive alternatives to those Americans willing to pay for ineffective, feel-good toys,” said Christopher C. Horner, CEI policy analyst.
CEI, a non-profit, non-partisan public policy group founded in 1984, is dedicated to the principles of free enterprise and limited government. For more information, please contact the media relations department at [email protected] or 202-331-1010.