Clinton defends energy policy, repeats call for heating oil reserve

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- With rising gasoline prices fueling new national debate, President Clinton on Saturday defended criticism that it lacked a long-term energy and accused Republicans of favoring energy policies that threaten America's natural resources.

"They want to revert to an old 19th-century approach that endangers our environment instead of one that invests in the future," Clinton said in his weekly radio address.

Clinton again called on Congress to establish a home heating-oil reserve for the Northeast, vowing to act on his own if lawmakers fail to fund such a reserve. While the House of Representatives last week authorized the creation of a heating oil reserve, it hasn't committed any money to it.

Clinton said he asked Energy Secretary Bill Richardson "to take the steps necessary to create a reserve through administrative authority if Congress does fail to act." Clinton said a heating-oil reserve would be in place by next winter.

Clinton faulted Republicans for failing to pass tax incentives that he said would promote domestic oil production and encourage the development of alternative energy sources.

"Only by developing new technologies can we ensure a cleaner future where we're not as reliant on fossil fuels and foreign oil," Clinton said, charging that since 1993 Congress has passed only 12 per cent of the spending increases he's sought for cleaner energy technology.

Republicans say that Clinton has made energy policy a low priority and is only now turning his attention to it because an election is around the corner.

Gasoline prices have become a hot political issue this summer, especially in the Midwest, where the price in some cities exceeded $2 per gallon. The Federal Trade Commission is investigating whether oil companies have engaged in price gouging or collusion.

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Saturday, July 1, 2000

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