Gold9472
10-03-2005, 07:08 PM
US govt unveils Energy Hog to promote conservation
http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/N03583887.htm
http://home.comcast.net/~gold9472/rush.gif
By Tom Doggett
03 Oct 2005 20:13:29 GMT
WASHINGTON, Oct 3 (Reuters) - With U.S. heating bills expected to hit record highs this winter, the Bush administration on Monday launched a conservation campaign featuring a cartoon mascot "Energy Hog," which critics said does little to discourage energy use.
Americans face higher heating bills due in part to crippled oil refineries, natural gas processing plants and producing platforms from Hurricanes Rita and Katrina.
In the Midwest, the region most dependent on natural gas for heating, winter bills will jump by 71 percent from last year, according to the Energy Information Administration. Nationally, heating oil expenses will rise 34 percent and electricity bills 11 percent, the EIA recently forecast.
Energy Secretary Sam Bodman and the Alliance to Save Energy consumer group on Monday launched what was billed as a major campaign to encourage Americans to cut energy use this winter. It dusts off mostly old energy-conservation tips such as adding home insulation and turning down thermostats.
To help sell the plan, the White House created a cartoon mascot, the Energy Hog. The pig, who wears blue jeans and a leather biker jacket, will follow in the footsteps of Smokey Bear and McGruff the Crime Dog by appearing in ads.
Public service announcements sent to 4,500 radio stations say that consumers "have the power" to manage their energy bills and ease "the pinch of high energy prices."
One radio commercial encourages consumers to install insulation in their homes and use a programmable thermostat to lower winter heating bills. Another focuses on automobile maintenance and driving tips, such as reducing driving speeds.
"This effort will provide consumers, industry and federal agencies with a variety of energy savings ideas, which if done properly, can yield significant savings," Bodman said.
He refused to estimate how much energy could be saved.
President George W. Bush last week urged Americans to avoid nonessential car trips and promised to impose the same guideline for federal workers.
Senate Democratic Leader Harry Reid and other Democrats called the new campaign "a toothless" energy savings program.
Reid urged the White House instead to meet the Clinton administration's goal for the federal government to cut oil use by 20 percent over five years, or set an even more ambitious goal.
"This nation must make a long-term commitment to the adoption of cutting-edge efficiency and alternative fuel technologies. Federal leadership can help put America on the path toward energy independence," Reid said.
Environmental groups, many Democrats and some Republicans have long insisted that meaningful cuts in U.S. energy use can only come through a big boost in vehicle mileage standards, which is opposed by the White House.
Mark Cooper, research director at the Consumer Federation of America, said the administration offered no new ideas.
"The fact that they're pushing conservation and have failed to promote efficiency shows just how AWOL they have been on the energy policy beat," he said. "They're warning Americans (about this winter) because they know the inevitable backlash to the rising prices."
Bodman said the administration is ready this winter, if necessary, to tap in to the government's emergency stockpiles of crude oil and heating oil.
To help businesses, the Energy Department will send experts to the 200 U.S. plants that use the most energy to try to find ways to be more energy-efficient, he said.
On Wednesday, the Bush administration will launch a national effort to persuade consumers to switch to light bulbs that use less electricity. Nearly 20 percent of U.S. residential electricity demand is for lighting.
In 2005, U.S. energy expenditures are expected to rise to $1.08 trillion, up 24 percent from last year. That represents 8.7 percent of U.S. annual gross domestic product, the biggest share of GDP since 1985, but does not include the impact of Hurricane Rita.
LINKS: *TAKE A LOOK-Energy recovers from hurricanes [ID:nN12489571] *Alliance to Save Energy site at www.ase.org *Energy Hog site at www.energyhog.org
http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/N03583887.htm
http://home.comcast.net/~gold9472/rush.gif
By Tom Doggett
03 Oct 2005 20:13:29 GMT
WASHINGTON, Oct 3 (Reuters) - With U.S. heating bills expected to hit record highs this winter, the Bush administration on Monday launched a conservation campaign featuring a cartoon mascot "Energy Hog," which critics said does little to discourage energy use.
Americans face higher heating bills due in part to crippled oil refineries, natural gas processing plants and producing platforms from Hurricanes Rita and Katrina.
In the Midwest, the region most dependent on natural gas for heating, winter bills will jump by 71 percent from last year, according to the Energy Information Administration. Nationally, heating oil expenses will rise 34 percent and electricity bills 11 percent, the EIA recently forecast.
Energy Secretary Sam Bodman and the Alliance to Save Energy consumer group on Monday launched what was billed as a major campaign to encourage Americans to cut energy use this winter. It dusts off mostly old energy-conservation tips such as adding home insulation and turning down thermostats.
To help sell the plan, the White House created a cartoon mascot, the Energy Hog. The pig, who wears blue jeans and a leather biker jacket, will follow in the footsteps of Smokey Bear and McGruff the Crime Dog by appearing in ads.
Public service announcements sent to 4,500 radio stations say that consumers "have the power" to manage their energy bills and ease "the pinch of high energy prices."
One radio commercial encourages consumers to install insulation in their homes and use a programmable thermostat to lower winter heating bills. Another focuses on automobile maintenance and driving tips, such as reducing driving speeds.
"This effort will provide consumers, industry and federal agencies with a variety of energy savings ideas, which if done properly, can yield significant savings," Bodman said.
He refused to estimate how much energy could be saved.
President George W. Bush last week urged Americans to avoid nonessential car trips and promised to impose the same guideline for federal workers.
Senate Democratic Leader Harry Reid and other Democrats called the new campaign "a toothless" energy savings program.
Reid urged the White House instead to meet the Clinton administration's goal for the federal government to cut oil use by 20 percent over five years, or set an even more ambitious goal.
"This nation must make a long-term commitment to the adoption of cutting-edge efficiency and alternative fuel technologies. Federal leadership can help put America on the path toward energy independence," Reid said.
Environmental groups, many Democrats and some Republicans have long insisted that meaningful cuts in U.S. energy use can only come through a big boost in vehicle mileage standards, which is opposed by the White House.
Mark Cooper, research director at the Consumer Federation of America, said the administration offered no new ideas.
"The fact that they're pushing conservation and have failed to promote efficiency shows just how AWOL they have been on the energy policy beat," he said. "They're warning Americans (about this winter) because they know the inevitable backlash to the rising prices."
Bodman said the administration is ready this winter, if necessary, to tap in to the government's emergency stockpiles of crude oil and heating oil.
To help businesses, the Energy Department will send experts to the 200 U.S. plants that use the most energy to try to find ways to be more energy-efficient, he said.
On Wednesday, the Bush administration will launch a national effort to persuade consumers to switch to light bulbs that use less electricity. Nearly 20 percent of U.S. residential electricity demand is for lighting.
In 2005, U.S. energy expenditures are expected to rise to $1.08 trillion, up 24 percent from last year. That represents 8.7 percent of U.S. annual gross domestic product, the biggest share of GDP since 1985, but does not include the impact of Hurricane Rita.
LINKS: *TAKE A LOOK-Energy recovers from hurricanes [ID:nN12489571] *Alliance to Save Energy site at www.ase.org *Energy Hog site at www.energyhog.org