A subtle, but welcome change in energy policy

April 29, 2005

While most Alaskans finished up their work day late Thursday afternoon, President George W. Bush addressed the nation in a televised East Coast, prime-time press conference.

It is a fact of life in the Last Frontier that "prime time" back east generally means Alaskans are left "out in the cold." But those who were able to be in front of a TV yesterday afternoon witnessed a decent performance by the commander in chief, who has had very few shining moments in 16 previous press conferences.

That Bush entered this one facing some of the lowest approval ratings of his presidency did not bode well. Yet he delivered a clearly articulated speech and outlined his ideas about Social Security reform, U.S. energy policy and the war in Iraq with conviction.

The pre-address spin touted the substance of the address, during which the president was supposed to flesh out, for the first time, the details of his increasingly unpopular plan for overhaul of the Social Security system. In reality, there was not much new put on the table. Still, as has become characteristic of this president, he offered no apologies, no revisions and no sign of backing off.

With midterm elections on the horizon for many in Congress, it will be interesting to see if the Bush plan can win the support of the American people and his own party members.

Perhaps the most striking aspect of the address and press conference was one that went virtually unnoticed. In discussing the importance of an energy policy, during the usual drumbeat about the need to decrease dependence on foreign oil, Bush uttered a word practically unheard in any previous discussion of sound energy policy by his administration: conservation.

It is a stunningly responsible - and long overdue - departure from the policy outlined to date by any of this president's men. Instead of calls for fuel-efficiency mandates, official administration policy awarded tax breaks to drivers of huge gas-guzzling vehicles. Now, Bush has put increased tax relief on the table for drivers of hybrid and clean-diesel vehicles. It's a great beginning, especially

in the wake of last week's 35th anniversary of

Earth Day.

In the business hours prior to the president's press conference, Congress moved a step closer to approving oil exploration and drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. This is a key component of Bush's energy plan, as well as an undertaking long desired by a majority of Alaskans. While we applaud the president's new interest in conservation, we hope that it is not eclipsed by the euphoria at the prospect of a new domestic source of oil.