The day after Bush's big speech on how his administration is going to save us from the same foreign oil dependence that his very administration has encased us in his energy secretary and national economic adviser said that the president didn't mean it literally.
Now, the New York Times has learned that Bush's own Energy Department will begin laying off researchers at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory in the next week or two because of cuts to its budget.
A veteran researcher said the staff had been told that the cuts would be concentrated among researchers in wind and biomass, which includes ethanol. Those are two of the technologies that Mr. Bush cited on Tuesday night as holding the promise to replace part of the nation's oil imports.
The budget for the laboratory, which is just west of Denver, was cut by nearly 15 percent, to $174 million from $202 million, requiring the layoff of about 40 staff members out of a total of 930, said a spokesman, George Douglas. The cut is for the fiscal year that began on Oct. 1.
You have to read ALL THE WAY TO THE FRIGGIN END of the article as usual.
Renewable Budget CutsWell, not LITERALLYMore global record profits for his oil buddies in the years to come while you sit home and turn down your thermostat a few more degrees. Oh, and, of course, more tax breaks for the top 1% of wealth holders in our society that have now extracted over 50% of nations resources to keep for themselves while contributing nothing.