By undertaking new cooperation on civil nuclear energy, India will be able to count on a reliable fuel supply for its civilian reactors, meet the energy demands of its people, and reduce its independence on fossil fuels.

Let me talk about energy very quickly. I'm fully aware that people are paying dearly at the pump. The other day at a press conference I said it's like a tax. It's a tax on you. The more that gasoline goes up, the more you're paying — the more you're paying for the pump, the less money you have in your pocket to spend for your family. I will tell you it's taken us a while to get in this fix, and therefore it's going to take us a while to get out of the fix.

And by the way, opening up ANWR is not long term, it's intermediate term. But it sends a clear signal, is what it does. It sends a clear signal to the markets that the United States is not going to restrict exploration. The United States is going to encourage exploration. And in the meantime we have done, increasing CAFTA, for example. But the market is going to do as much for encouraging conservation as anything else is now. And so I firmly believe that — you know, if there was a magic wand to wave, I'd be waving it, of course. ...I think that if there was a magic wand, and say, okay, drop price, I'd do that. ...But there is no magic wand to wave right now.

So here are some ways that we're dealing with the issue of electricity. One, I strongly believe the United States must promote nukyular power here in the United States. Nukyular power — if you're interested in economic growth and environmental stewardship, there's no better way to achieve both of them than through the promotion of nukyular power. Nukyular power is limitless. It's one existing source that generates a massive amount of electricity without causing air pollution or any greenhouse gases. And yet the United States — we haven't built any nukyular power plants in a long time. We have a promising technology available and yet we're stuck — until recently. All of our citizens probably don't understand, but France, our ally and friend, gets nearly 80 percent of its power from nukyular power. Isn't that an amazing statistic? It's time for America to change. My administration is working to eliminate the barriers to development of nukyular power plants. Last year we invested more than $300 million in nukyular energy technologies. We want our people to understand that this generation of nukyular power plants is safe. We want people to feel comfortable about the expansion of nukyular power. ...So in the energy bill I signed in 2005, we began to address that uncertainty with federal risk insurance for those who build nukyular power plants. ...We've also launched a program called Nukyular Power 2010. Sam Bodman is in charge of all these. It's a partnership between our industry and the U.S. government. Since we've started these programs, we've received six applications to build and operate new nukyular power plants in the United States. ...[The] whole purpose is, is we want to expand our nukyular power industry. And we're taking specific actions to do it. ...We're also working with our friends overseas for the Global Nukyular Energy Partnership. I believe developing nations ought to be encouraged to use nukyular power. ...And so we're working with other nations, like Japan and France and Great Britain and Russia and China, to form this energy partnership, the purpose of which is to help developing nations secure cost-effective and proliferation-resistant nukyular power, and at the same time to conduct joint research on how to deal with the nukyular waste issue, through positive, productive reprocessing. And so the United States of America has got a strategy to help change our electricity mix here at home. And part of that strategy is on nukyular power.

REPORTER: What's your advice to the average American who is hurting now, facing the prospect of 4-dollar-a-gallon gasoline, a lot of people facing —
DUBYA: Wait, what did you just say? You're predicting 4-dollar-a-gallon gasoline?
REPORTER: A number of analysts are predicting —
DUBYA: Oh, yeah?
REPORTER: Four-dollar-a-gallon gasoline this spring when they reformulate.
DUBYA: That's interesting. I hadn't heard that.
REPORTER: Yes, sir.
DUBYA: Yes. I know it's high now.

REPORTER: Beyond your concern that you stated here, and your expectations for these stimulus checks, what kind of hope can you offer to people who are in dire straits?
DUBYA: Permanent tax — keep the tax cuts permanent, for starters. There's a lot of economic uncertainty. You just said that. You just said the price of gasoline may be up to 4-dollars-a-gallon — or some expert told you that — and that creates a lot of uncertainty if you're out there wondering whether or not — you know, what your life is going to be like and you're looking at 4-dollars-a-gallon, that's uncertain. And when you couple with the idea that taxes may be going up in a couple of years, that's double uncertainty. And therefore one way to deal with uncertainty is for Congress to make the tax cuts permanent. Secondly, it's — people got to understand that our energy policy needs to be focused on a lot of things — one, renewables, which is fine, which I strongly support, as you know. Two, conservation. But we need to be finding more oil and gas at home if we're worried about becoming dependent on oil overseas. And this — I view it as a transitory period to new technologies that will change the way we live, but we haven't built a refinery in a long time. We're expanding refineries, but we haven't built a refinery in a long time. I strongly suggested to the Congress that we build refineries on old military bases, but, no, it didn't pass. But if you've got less supply of something, as demand continues to stay steady or grow, your price is going to go up. Secondly, on oil, we — the more oil we find at home, the better off we're going to be in terms of the short-run.

Let me finish the first part of the question and remind me you asked that. Umm, is the question is how to have an effective strategy? Is it more effective to let each state make a decision as to how to proceed in curbing greenhouse gases? Or is it more effective to have a national strategy? Uhh, Director Johnson made a decision based upon the fact that we passed a piece of legislation that enables us to have a national strategy, which is the, uhh, — uhh, increasing CAFE standards to, uhh, 35 miles an hour by 2020, and a substantial increase of alternative fuels — uhh, 36 billion gallons, by 2022.

Your government is spending a fair amount of money, of your money, to research cellulosic ethanol. And that's a fancy word for using corn chips or switchgrass to be able to be the feedstock for new ethanol production.

The nukyular sector is one of the safest industries in the United States. Advances in science and engineering and plant design have made nukyular plants even safer than the last generation of plants. In other words, technology has advanced, knowledge has advanced, engineering has advanced. This is a safe plant and the people in the United States must understand that.

Our country has not ordered a new nukyular power plant since the 1970s, partially as a result of constant litigation and overly complex regulations. So we're working to overcome those obstacles.

But if you really want to reduce the amount of oil that you consume, you got to reduce the amount of gasoline you use.

And some day you're going to be able to get in your car, particularly if you're a big-city person, and drive 40 miles on a battery.

And I'm going to continue to call upon citizens' groups and concerned citizens to work with members of Congress so we can — I can sign a comprehensive plan that will assure the American people that as we look forward into the 21st century that we'll be more energy dependent and good stewards of the environment.

We're also spending money on wind and solar. As a matter of fact, I saw your solar panel expert. And we spent a little time on — here's the dream. The dream is, some day the technology will be such that you'll be — your house will become a little power generator. And if you use — if you got excess electricity generated by solar, you'll be able to feed it back into your grid. Is that possible? Yes, it's possible.

Nukyular power is renewable, and nukyular power does not emit one greenhouse gas.

We got to be wise about our energy policy. I happen to believe in nukyular power. I believe nukyular power — I know nukyular power is renewable, and it protects the environment.

There's not going to be a answer for diversifying away from foreign sources of oil.

AUDIENCE MEMBER: I would like to ask one question about the Alaskan pipeline. My understanding is that most of that supply does not come to the United States, and I would like to know why that goes to other countries rather than to where it's needed here, so that we can —
DUBYA: You mean the crude oil coming down the pipeline?
AUDIENCE MEMBER: Yes, sir.
DUBYA: I don't know where it goes, to be honest with you. Sorry. I can find out.

You know, I know gas prices are high. There's no magic wand to wave.

I know we're going to have to do something about energy. I aim to be a competitive nation.

I fully understand the effects of gasoline price raises on people who are working. It's like a tax. Every time it goes up at the pump, people are like paying a tax.

We — first of all, there is — the globe is warming. The fundamental debate, is it manmade or natural. Put that aside.

We need nukyular power, in my judgment. It's a renewable source of energy that doesn't create greenhouse gases.

Obviously, nukyular power is a, uhh, renewable source of energy, and the less demand there is for non-renewable sources of energy, like fossil fuels, the better it off it is for the American people.

If you're worried about the environment, which I am, it seems like to make sense that we use nukyular power. It's renewable and it's clean.

To change how we power our homes and offices, we will invest more in zero-emission coal-fired plants, revolutionary solar and wind technologies, and clean, safe nukyular energy.

Would the United States and other free nations be more safe or less safe with Zarqawi and bin Laden in control of Iraq, its people and its resources?

Governor Perdue of Georgia I thought did a — showed some leadership by saying we've got to — anticipating a problem, here's what we need to do to correct it. There's going to be some — by the way, and here's what we have done and will continue to do.

And so while there's a shortfall because of down refining capacity, we will work with — we have instructed EPA to leave the rules in place, or to suspend the rules that were in place, keep the suspension in place, which would make it easier to increase supply, and continue to get supply of gasoline here. And that's important for our consumers to know.

Steps we're taking will help address the problem of availability, but it's not going to solve it. Americans should be prudent in their use of energy during the course of the next few weeks. Don't buy gas if you don't need it.

MCDONALD: Many countries are expecting international legal binding agreements on cutting greenhouse gas emissions. Can they expect your support in doing that?
DUBYA: If this looks like Kyoto, the answer is no. On the other hand, if people want to come together and share technologies and develop technologies and jointly spend — and spend money on research and development, just like the United States is, to help us diversify away from fossil fuels, more than willing to discuss it.
MCDONALD: But they're wasting their time if they think that they'll get from you an international binding agreement about mandatory curbs on greenhouse gases?
DUBYA: I have — I have no idea — look, you're asking me to design a treaty here with you on the set of the — right here on the set of this — on this beautiful set. I mean, that's kind of — but I'm telling you, if you're trying to get me to say, we support Kyoto, the answer is no, we don't. And it's a bad deal for America. ...America is the largest investor in the technologies necessary to be able to say to people, you can grow your economy so people's standard of living can improve, and at the same time be good stewards of the environment.
MCDONALD: But pollution in this country has increased amazingly since 1992.
DUBYA: That is a totally inaccurate statement.
MCDONALD: It's a U.N. figure.
DUBYA: Well, I just beg to differ with every figure you've got. The environment has — the quality of the environment has improved, in spite of the fact that we've grown our economy.
MCDONALD: Mr. President, thank you.
DUBYA: Always a pleasure.

DUBYA: I appreciate the Secretary of Energy joining me today. He's a good man, he knows a lot about the subject, you'll be pleased to hear. I was teasing him — he taught at MIT, and — do you have a PhD?
SECRETARY OF ENERGY BODMAN: Yes.
DUBYA: Yes, a PhD. Now I want you to pay careful attention to this — he's the PhD, and I'm the C student, but notice who is the advisor and who is the President.

Do you realize we've got 250 million years of coal?

We ought to be using nukyular power. It's a renewable source of energy.

One of the great sources of energy for the future is liquefied natural gas. There's a lot of gas reserves around the world. Gas is — can only be transported by ship, though, when you liquefy it, when you put it in solid form.

I like the idea of people growing corn that gets converted into energy. Somebody walks into the Oval Office and says, there's a lot of corn being grown, Mr. President. Hopefully, that one day will mean we're less dependent on foreign sources of energy. The more corn there is, the more we have to eat. The more corn there is, the more energy there is.

It's hard to be a manufacturer in the state of Pennsylvania if you're worried about where your next energy is coming from.

We need a energy policy.

Our greatest strength — well, let me — gas prices are coming down, which, by the way, is positive for the American consumer, American people.

We need an energy bill that encourages consumption.

I believe that one of these days we're going to have brand new types of cars that are going to make us less dependent on foreign sources of crude oil, and we'll be more better at cleaning our air.

Imagine how less dependent America will be on foreign sources of energy, and how more easy it'll be to clean up our air.

One of these days, this little lady right here is going to be driving an automobile with a hybrid engine in it, and a fuel cell in it. And it's going to work. And I hope I'm around to see it, too.

FIREFIGHTER ED HALL: Mr. President, it really is an honor to meet you, but you don't have to drill for oil in the Arctic.
DUBYA: Yeah, then we'll run out of energy.

Because if the economies of the world come back, we might be in a tight again, in which case we're going to be wondering where was the energy policy that the President was arguing for back in the year 2001.

And we need to modernize the infrastructure that develops energy from point A to point B, from plant to consumer. We need to get after it.

But even more efficient, however, is the transference of heat and cool as a result of circulating water below the — it's called thermal heating and cooling — okay.

We want to reduce greenhouse gases. Ours is a large economy. We used to generate more wealth than we are today. And as a result, we do contribute greenhouse gases to the atmosphere.

Natural gas needs to move in our hemisphere. It needs to move easily across our borders to find markets, to be able to ease the pressures of reduced supply all around the country.

We also need to conserve more, and conservation comes as a result of new technologies.

It would be helpful if we opened up ANWR. I think it's a mistake not to. And I would urge you all to travel up there and take a look at it and you can make the determination as to how beautiful that country is.

And we need a full affront on an energy crisis that is real in California and looms for other parts of our country if we don't move quickly.

In terms of the CO2 issue... we will not do anything that harms our economy. Because, first things first, are the people who live in America.

There are some monuments where the land is so widespread, they just encompass as much as possible. And the integral part of the - the precious part, so to speak, I guess all land is precious - but the part that the people uniformly would not want to spoil, will not be despoiled. But there are parts of the monument lands where we can explore without affecting the overall environment.

It was just inebriating what Midland [Oil Company] was all about then.

The California crunch really is the result of not enough power-generating plants and then not enough power to power the power of generating plants.

Natural gas is hemispheric. I like to call it hemispheric in nature because it is a product that we can find in our neighborhoods.

There's no such thing as being too closely aligned with the oil industry in West Texas.