Spencer Abraham, the energy secretary, called the drafting of the energy plan a search for a middle ground between environmentalists and industry. But he sounded the new battle cry at a Washington energy conference last week, ridiculing a recent newspaper ad from a pro-conservation group, which argued California should solve its electricity shortages by a crash efficiency plan. He cited a study his department prepared that claims that the United States will need 1,300 new power plants during the next 20 years. It was the Clinton administration's folly, he said, to think that the nation could limit demand and just let supply take care of itself. And the Bush team also points the finger at people who use environmental rules to simply pursue their own narrow interests.
Nobody wants to be able to see a transmission line from their front yard.
Nobody wants a gas pipeline through their community. Nobody wants a power plant in their county. It's going to be very important that we change the circumstances. Part of the Bush focus comes out of politics. There is also the question of experience.