(23 Sep 2000) English/Nat
XFA
President Clinton on Saturday defended his decision to use America's emergency oil stockpile to ease fuel prices.
Before leaving on a political trip to California, Clinton said the nation must do something more than offer cold comfort to people who simply want a warm home.
In addition to tapping the oil reserve, Clinton said he had directed 400 (m) million U-S dollars in federal aid be released to help with heating bills.
Speaking on the South Lawn before leaving for a political trip in California, President Clinton said Saturday that tapping the government's emergency oil reserve was "plainly the prudent thing to do."
And he announced a series of other actions to shield low-income families from exorbitant heating costs this winter.
SOUNDBITE: (English)
" The overriding purpose for our action is to increase supply and help consumers make it through the cold winter. Families shouldn't have to drain their wallets to drive their cars or heat their homes."
SUPER CAPTION: US President Bill Clinton
Clinton defended his decision to put 30(m) million barrels of the government's petroleum stockpile into the market, and flatly rejected any charges that the move was politically motivated to help Vice President Al Gore.
SOUNDBITE:
"This is the right thing to do. It's good energy policy, good national security policy, and good family policy."
SUPER CAPTION: US President Bill Clinton
Clinton said overall heating oil inventories are now more than 20 percent lower than they were at this time in 1999.
He said inventories are down 50 percent in the East Coast and more than 60 percent in New England.
Responding to claims that he has not developed an adequate energy policy, the president took a slap at the Republican controlled Congress, which he said has "chopped, blocked and ignored" administration proposals aimed at promoting energy efficiency.
SOUNDBITE: (English)
"We have made headway. But too many critical elements of our energy strategy have been chopped, blocked or ignored by the Republican majority in Congress. I proposed electricity restructuring legislation, they abandoned it. And for every new dollar we have sought to invest in clean, efficient sources of energy they have provided the dime. Today I urge Congress to get off that dime and take action."
SUPER CAPTION: US President Bill Clinton
In addition to tapping the oil reserve, Clinton has directed that 400-million- U-S dollars in federal aid be released to help the families that can least bear the burden of high energy prices.
The president said it is the largest such release ever.
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