George W. Bush

==== Energy policies ====
In his [[2006 State of the Union Address]], Bush declared, "America is addicted to oil" and announced his Advanced Energy Initiative to increase [[energy development]] research.<ref>{{cite news |date=January 31, 2006 |access-date=October 1, 2006 |url=http://legacy.c-span.org/Transcripts/SOTU-2006.aspx |title=President George W. Bush's address before a joint session of the Congress on the State of the Union |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110131222703/http://legacy.c-span.org/Transcripts/SOTU-2006.aspx |archive-date=January 31, 2011 |publisher=[[C-SPAN]]}}</ref>

[[File:20080618 Bush Kempthorne oil exploration speech.jpg|thumb|President Bush delivering a statement on energy, urging Congress to end [[Offshore oil and gas in the United States|offshore oil drill]] ban, June 18, 2008]]
In his [[2007 State of the Union Address]], Bush renewed his pledge to work toward diminished reliance on foreign oil by reducing [[fossil fuel]] consumption and increasing [[alternative fuel]] production.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://georgewbush-whitehouse.archives.gov/news/releases/2007/01/20070123-2.html |title=President Bush Delivers State of the Union Address |date=January 23, 2007 |access-date=June 23, 2009 |archive-date=May 2, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130502232627/http://georgewbush-whitehouse.archives.gov/news/releases/2007/01/20070123-2.html |via=[[NARA|National Archives]] |publisher=[[White House]] }}</ref> Amid high gasoline prices in 2008, Bush lifted a ban on [[offshore drilling]].<ref name="drilling-cnn">{{cite news |access-date=August 3, 2008 |date=July 14, 2008 |url=http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/07/14/bush.offshore/ |title=Bush lifts executive ban on offshore oil drilling |publisher=CNN |archive-date=June 28, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130628134931/http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/07/14/bush.offshore/ }}</ref> However, the move was largely symbolic because there was still a federal law banning offshore drilling. Bush said, "This means that the only thing standing between the American people and these vast oil reserves is action from the U.S. Congress."<ref name="drilling-cnn" /> Bush had said in June 2008, "In the long run, the solution is to reduce demand for oil by promoting alternative energy technologies. My administration has worked with Congress to invest in gas-saving technologies like advanced batteries and hydrogen [[fuel cell]]s{{nbs}}... In the short run, the American economy will continue to rely largely on oil. And that means we need to increase supply, especially here at home. So my administration has repeatedly called on Congress to expand domestic oil production."<ref>{{cite web |url=https://georgewbush-whitehouse.archives.gov/news/releases/2008/06/20080618.html |title=President Bush Discusses Energy |date=June 18, 2008 |access-date=August 3, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130502232627/http://georgewbush-whitehouse.archives.gov/news/releases/2008/06/20080618.html |archive-date=May 2, 2013 |via=[[NARA|National Archives]] |publisher=[[White House]] }}</ref>

In his [[2008 State of the Union Address]], Bush announced that the U.S. would commit $2{{nbs}}billion over the next three years to a new international fund to promote clean energy technologies and fight climate change, saying, "Along with contributions from other countries, this fund will increase and accelerate the deployment of all forms of cleaner, more efficient technologies in developing nations like India and China, and help leverage substantial private-sector capital by making clean energy projects more financially attractive." He also announced plans to reaffirm the United States' commitment to work with major economies, and, through the UN, to complete an international agreement that will slow, stop, and eventually reverse the growth of greenhouse gases; he stated, "This agreement will be effective only if it includes commitments by every major economy and gives none a free ride."<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.americanrhetoric.com/speeches/stateoftheunion2008.htm |title=George W. Bush: 2008 State of the Union Address |author=American Rhetoric |date=January 28, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130502232627/http://www.americanrhetoric.com/speeches/stateoftheunion2008.htm |archive-date=May 2, 2013 }}</ref>