By the OGJ Online Staff
HOUSTON, Aug.1 -- President George W. Bush Tuesday launched a campaign against so-called "energy vampires," devices such as phone chargers that continue to draw electricity while plugged into an outlet even though the device may not be in use.
Dogged by criticism his administration's energy policy promotes production at the expense of conservation, Bush signed an executive order calling for the federal government to purchase products that use no more than one 1 w in their standby power consuming mode.
"One of the ways that our nation wastes energy is through what they call vampire devices," Bush said, such as battery chargers, cell phone chargers, VCRs, printers, and fax machines that use electricity in standby modes.
If 1 w products are not available, the executive order calls for the agencies to buy products with the lowest standby power wattage. It requires the departments of energy and defense to jointly compile a preliminary list of products subject to the order by Dec. 31, with the Energy Department making the final decision once the list is drawn up.
Bush also used the event to promote Republican energy policy, including one of his most controversial proposals -- drilling in the coastal plain of Alaska's Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. He said the energy bill pending in congress is balanced between the need to conserve and to find new resources, such as natural gas.
"There's an energy bill working its way through Congress which will encourage new technologies that will help save energy, that will call for research and development, to make sure that we're wise about how we use the scarce resources we have in America," Bush said.
He called on House members to pass a bill that will" include allowing for there to be a small amount of exploration in ANWR, that will yield a lot of energy on behalf of the people of America."
