Oh Look! It's Another Bush Renewable Energy Photo-Op!!

[hatrack]

President Bush will tour the National Renewable Energy Laboratory in Golden next Tuesday to discuss his administration's policy to boost energy production from the sun, wind, and plant and animal waste.
The visit will highlight Bush's commitment made in his State of the Union address to break the nation's "addiction to oil," often from unstable countries, and to find alternatives. He has pledged to ask Congress for a 22 percent increase in funding for clean energy research, including nuclear and renewable energy.

"We have been advised that the president is going to be coming to NREL on Feb. 21, and we are hopeful that in fact that he will be able to come to Colorado," said Jim Sims, executive director the Western Business Roundtable, a trade group that lobbies on energy issues. "A possible visit to NREL is going to be a part of a series of visits and tours that the president will be doing to promote domestic enegry as a growing alternative to foreign energy."

Bush's visit, however, comes at a sensitive time. The federal energy lab is laying off nearly three dozen scientists because of dwindling federal funding. Angela de Rocha, a spokeswoman at Sen. Wayne Allard's office, said the Colorado Republican would not be able to accompany Bush on the NREL tour because of a previous commitment. She also said the president's visit is encouraging for the cash-strapped lab. "The way the budget cycle works, we are just starting on fiscal year 2007. So this is a good sign that the president has decided that this should be an important priority for our country," de Rocha said.

EDIT

NREL is on track to lay off 32 scientists, including full-time and part-time employees, this year because of a $28 million shortfall in its budget for fiscal 2006. This fiscal year ends Sept. 30. The job cuts will affect NREL's research projects in hydrogen, biomass, and basic research, which examines energy at the cellular or atomic level.

EDIT/END

Emphasis added

http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/energy/article/0,2777,DRMN_23914_4464735,00.html

[Canuckistanian]

1. Wow, what a pair that man has

The NERVE of him to take a photo-op tour of a place that's being gutted by his government.

And I thought those statements in the SOTU were "not to be taken literally".

Un-be-fucking-lievable.

:grr:

[louis-t]

2. " So this is a good sign that the president..."

"..has decided that this should be an important priority for our country," de Rocha said. " She doesn't get it yet, does she?

[JohnWxy]

3. Such astounding commitment to the technique of the "BIG LIE"