When you're talking about constructing new power-generating sources, you're talking about an infrastructure that will last for many years to come. The Sierra Club and other environmental groups are organizing a protest near the energy-efficient power plant that Bush plans to use as a backdrop when he presents his energy plan to the nation Thursday. Elkins said he was surprised by the scores of calls his office has received from people who want to let Bush know they oppose his plan. Although the 100-page document has not been released, its key principles have been described by Vice President Dick Cheney, who headed the task force that drafted it. The callers expressed concern about the administration's expected emphasis on fossil fuels and nuclear power to expand electricity supplies, and its less aggressive embrace of efficiency improvements and energy conservation, Elkins said.
People are very disappointed.
It is those kinds of sentiments that environmentalists hope to encourage with their multifaceted attack on the Bush energy plan. The business community in general and energy industry in particular are backing Bush's plan. But recent polls have convinced them that environmentalists may have the edge in public opinion, making them formidable opponents. Hundreds of local chambers and trade associations have formed the Alliance for Energy and Economic Growth to press the business community to counteract the grass-roots efforts of environmentalists. Environmentalists will have ready allies on Capitol Hill, where Democrats have come to see battling the White House on green issues as one of their most effective political strategies heading into the 2002 congressional races.