White House Fuel Cell Plan Ignores Today's Oil Security Threat

Technology Available Now to Clean Up Cars, Increase Security, says NRDC

WASHINGTON (February 6, 2003) - President Bush's promise of hydrogen-powered fuel cell vehicles in the future -- made today in a speech on "energy independence" -- fails to address the environmental and national security threats posed by oil dependence today, say experts at NRDC (Natural Resources Defense Council). According to NRDC, we don't have to wait 15 to 20 years to produce cleaner cars and wean the country off of oil.

"It will be a decade, maybe two, before we see fuel cell cars on the road. But we have an oil security problem now; we have a global warming problem now; we have an air pollution problem now," says Dr. Daniel Lashof, science director of the NRDC Climate Center. "We have the technology today to fix these problems, but the White House is standing in the way. America deserves better."

While President Bush is touting a program that may bear fruit decades from now, his new White House budget would cut investment in other clean, renewable technologies, and the administration is actively opposing efforts to make today's cars and trucks cleaner and more fuel-efficient.

Last year, NRDC released "Dangerous Addiction," a detailed plan for ending America's oil dependence.

The Natural Resources Defense Council is a national, non-profit organization of scientists, lawyers and environmental specialists dedicated to protecting public health and the environment. Founded in 1970, NRDC has more than 550,000 members nationwide, served from offices in New York, Washington, Los Angeles and San Francisco.

Related NRDC Pages
Bush Budget Analysis