The United States Tuesday rejected criticism that its new energy plan to boost the use of oil, coal and nuclear power would fuel global warming and lacked serious measures to increase energy efficiency. Kjell Larsson, the environment minister of Sweden, which holds the rotating EU presidency, also lashed out Tuesday during a U.N. conference in Stockholm outlawing toxic chemicals known as persistent organic pollutants. He said the U.S. plan made it clear that Washington would not be able to work with the international community on the 1997 Kyoto pact to cut greenhouse gas emissions and curb global warming. Bush abandoned the Kyoto deal in March. But Whitman said half the recommendations of the U.S. energy plan were directed at renewable energy sources or energy conservation.
Critics say it is lopsided in favor of boosting production.
Another sign the United States was increasing its energy efficiency was that greenhouse emissions were not rising as fast as economic growth, she said. Americans use about three times more energy per capita than EU citizens. The agency would also launch a campaign this year to further boost energy awareness and efficiency, she said. Whitman also said she would present recommendations for a new climate policy by the end of June to Bush, but could not say when the plan would be published. Washington in abandoning the Kyoto protocol, which calls on industrialized countries to cut their emissions of CO2 and other climate gases, blamed high costs and said it was unfair that developing countries were not included.