Bush to call for 20 percent cut in gasoline use

WASHINGTON (CNN) — President Bush, in Tuesday’s State of the Union address, will propose a plan to cut U.S. gasoline consumption by 20 percent while bolstering inventory in the Strategic Petroleum Reserve, Republican sources say.

The president’s plan to cut gasoline use includes tightening fuel economy standards on automakers and relying on alternative energy sources, such as hybrid cars, the sources say.

Bush would propose achieving the 20-percent cut in gasoline use in the next 10 years, according to the sources. He will also propose the U.S. produce 35 billion gallons of renewable fuel such as ethanol by 2017, according an official who was briefed on the speech.

Bush will say increasing the oil reserve will give the nation a reliable backup in times of crisis, the sources say.

CNN