Bush fuels the debate

President Bush’s strong espousal of alternative fuels such as cellulosic ethanol as a way of weaning America off its dependency on Middle East oil should be warmly applauded. The president has often made reference to oil in previous State of the Union addresses but not by endorsing a particular solution with such enthusiasm and never with a specific target in mind: to cut dependence on Middle East oil by 75% by 2025. It would have been even better if Mr Bush had worked with the international community to reduce oil dependence and to combat global warming, but this move at least shows that the US could make a significant contribution on a unilateral basis.

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