Lawmaker says U.S. must be alert on energy future
REUTERS NEWS SERVICEWASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Joseph Lieberman said
yesterday the federal government needs to prepare better for the future
energy needs of the country, providing environmentally safe fuels and
secure supplies.
Lieberman, a Democrat from Connecticut, said Department of Energy
budgets for developing renewable fuels - wind, solar, biomass, hydrogen
and geothermal - need to be increased greatly from present levels at
around $320 million a year.
Speaking at an energy conference, the lawmaker said people of every political background have strong feelings toward preserving the environment, especially as fears of global warming become more known.
"People want to preserve natural resources and want to know the lifestyle consequences of environmental policies," Lieberman said.
Besides taking a leadership role in negotiations to settle an international climate change treaty, Lieberman said it was important for the U.S. to take action in a number of areas to keep greenhouse gas emissions under control, including:
* the need to figure out a new way to build more nuclear power plants, as the present class of plants grow old;
* better fuel efficiency for vehicles by raising the car mileage requirement standards;
* boosting prospects for fuel cell technology being put into real-life use.
Lieberman said he agreed with projections calling for a continued reliance on fossil fuels for world energy needs over the next 20 years, but said unknown environmental factors, like a speeding in the pace of global warming, could alter usage levels for oil, natural gas and coal.