Ease gasoline use, increase pipeline flow

Miami Herald.com
Posted on Wed, Sep. 28, 2005



Ease gasoline use, increase pipeline flow

OUR OPINION: CONSERVATION MESSAGE FROM PRESIDENT STRIKES RIGHT CHORD


We applaud President Bush for the quick and decisive steps he has taken -- including urging motorists to drive less -- in trying to get ahead of an energy shortfall and possible panic at the pump. The message is, ''We're all in this together; if we pull together, we can get through it.'' The president seeks buy-in that can pull the country together at a time of crisis brought on by two monster hurricanes, Katrina and Rita.

Though Mr. Bush described a number of business-friendly steps the government is taking to deal with the impending crisis, he left one obvious option -- requiring vehicles to operate more efficiently -- out of the equation. That's too bad because improving the average miles-per-gallon efficiency of cars and trucks could significantly lessen the country's energy demands over the long haul, not just the short-term.

Increasing refinery capacity

Nevertheless, the president's call for a modicum of sacrifice by all Americans was welcome. The hurricanes crippled gasoline production in the refinery-rich Gulf Coast region, which supplies more than one-third of the country's gas and oil needs. Mr. Bush described steps being taken to quickly return the refineries and pipelines to full production, including waiving tax penalties for using certain diesel fuels and waiving technical Environmental Protection Agency rules that require winter/summer blending mixtures for fuels.

More important, the president said that the government will release oil from the nation's strategic reserves and that he will ask Congress to create incentives for building up U.S. refinery capacity. More capacity is critical. The blow by Hurricane Katrina alone showed that the United States is just one big storm away from a refinery meltdown. Indeed, the country hasn't built a new refinery since 1970.

It's clear from President Bush's remarks that he wants to strip away rules and bureaucratic red tape to create incentives for building refineries. Mr. Bush should take care, though, not to toss out the baby with the bath water. Bypassing regulatory rules could result in facilities less capable of surviving damage from natural or man-made disasters.

Calming drivers' fears

Curiously, Mr. Bush commended the efforts of Gov. Jeb Bush and Georgia Gov. Sonny Perdue to calm drivers who are anxious about rising gas prices. The president is right about Gov. Bush's actions in getting the word out about ample supplies and staying calm. But Gov. Perdue's moves are exactly what should not happen. The governor announced late Friday that public schools would be suspended for two days to save on fuel supplies for school buses and other vehicles. That sent parents into a desperate frenzy to find activities and child-care alternatives for their children and, worse, it reinforced the idea that supplies were so low that desperate measures were needed.

Big mistake, Gov. Perdue. By contrast, President Bush's own message struck just the right balance in showing that the federal government is taking steps to increase the supply of gasoline and describing what residents themselves can do to help. That's constructive and effective.