President Bush is in Delaware today to push his energy proposals from last night’s State of the Union, but Delawareans are not buying what he is selling.
His visit comes less than a week after Democrats in Washington finished their 100-hour legislative blitz by repealing massive tax breaks to big oil and putting the money into alternative energy development. The president plans to talk about his own ideas on energy, but Delawareans have seen nothing from him resembling the new direction that they demanded in November.
“While President Bush is justifiably highlighting some of the important green energy initiatives being advanced here in Delaware – including the development of biofuels at the Dupont Company and elsewhere – his visit just reinforces the need for real leadership at the federal level,” said state Treasurer Jack Markell.
“Make no mistake, for six years, this White House has talked a good game on energy policy, and then promoted policies that favor polluters and their longtime friends in the oil industry,” Markell continued. “We don’t need any more false promises. We need real action.”
The president met with Sen. Tom Carper, D-Del., and Gov. Ruth Ann Minner this morning along with DuPont officials. Carper introduced a bill last week to cut power plant emissions by 10 percent by 2020. Cleaning up our environment was a pillar of Minner’s state of the state address last week. And DuPont was one of ten companies to send the president a letter this week requesting that he make emissions caps part of his energy policy.
But the White House has refused to break their alliance with Big Oil, rejecting emissions caps despite the demands of America’s voters, major corporations, and Democrats.
“I certainly hope the President listens to our state’s elected and business leaders on his trip today,” said Delaware Democratic Party Executive Director Molly Jurusik. “But in his speech last night and his visit today he displayed nothing to indicate he has heeded America’s call for a new direction.”
