COAL
Ease environmental rules on coal-burning power plants while spending $2 billion to research cleaner ways to burn it
PRO: Plentiful, cheap coal provides more than half of U.S. electricity
CON: Worst of fossil fuels for CO2 emissions. Price has been declining for so long that some mines cannot find workers
OIL/GAS
Use tax incentives to encourage new drilling, including on federal lands
PRO: Reduces dependence on foreign oil. Natural gas is cleanest fossil fuel
CON: Bush faces a fight in Congress to open ANWR. One spill in Alaska could forever tar the Administration
TRANSMISSION
An outmoded national power grid has created huge bottlenecks. Bush would construct more gas pipelines and expand the use of eminent domain, so land could be bought and used for new lines
PRO: States could trade power quickly
CON: Bush's Western supporters are not big on government land grabs
POWER PLANTS/REFINERIES
Bush will streamline the regulatory process for building plants and refineries. He has even courted labor unions with the promise of the construction projects
PRO: Blackouts? What blackouts?
CON: Can deregulated utilities really afford to build more plants?
CONSERVATION
With environmentalists attacking his plan, Bush is playing up its greener parts--tax credits for hybrid electric/gas cars and research into alternative fuels
PRO: Something is better than nothing
CON: His budget cuts federal research dollars, leaving the work to the private sector
NUCLEAR
The country has not built a new plant in almost 30 years. Bush would make it easier, and he would fund research on nuclear-waste storage
PRO: Emits no greenhouse gases; newer technologies have made modern plants much safer
CON: The stigma--who wants a new Three Mile Island in his suburb?
...and an alternative Dick Cheney calls conservation a personal virtue. But advocates say new technology has made it a viable alternative to simply drilling for more oil and gas. Some options:
HOME APPLIANCES
Advances in efficiency for refrigerators, clothes washers and other appliances can cut consumption. When Bush toned down Clinton's rules for air conditioners, which had some industry support, he created a need for 37 new power plants
PRO: The technology is already here
CON: More regulations are not a Republican fav
AT HOME
Bush will not encourage us to change our lifestyles, but some utilities are. One Washington utility gives out coupons for more efficient light bulbs. A Los Angeles utility offers customers $10,000 to switch their homes to solar energy
PRO: Conservation starts at home. It's painless
CON: Utilities won't pay if supply increases
SET AN EXAMPLE
America's largest energy consumer, the Federal Government, could cut power use 20% just by using common conservation techniques. By investing in new technologies like hybrid cars, it will convince companies there's a profit to be made in conservation
PRO: Bush's ranch and Cheney's house use geothermal energy. Why not their offices?
CON: Hybrids not ready for FBI high-speed chases
NATURAL GAS
The cleanest fossil fuel, natural gas, has risen in use dramatically in the past decade. If Bush reversed himself and imposed limits on CO2 emissions, gas would be even more attractive to utilities that will need to comply
PRO: Cleaner than coal and oil
CON: Price spikes have stung consumers in the past few years. Would still mean more drilling
RENEWABLE FUELS
Solar, wind and geothermal energy are growing. Some states have set renewable portfolio standards, which force utilities to get some of their power from these eco-friendly sources. A national standard could make them profitable
PRO: More power, cleanly
CON: Bush spent a good part of his campaign mocking Al Gore's kooky solar-energy ideas
FUEL EFFICIENCY
With Ford and GM arguing over who is greener, it may be time to raise fuel-efficiency rules. Closing the light-truck loophole that holds SUVs to a lower standard could save almost a billion barrels of oil a year
PRO: Less pollution and fewer fill-ups at the pump
CON: People like having the biggest car on the block