Energy Sec. Praises NREL, But Calls For More Drilling, More Drilling . . .

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Breckenridge - "U.S. Energy Secretary Samuel Bodman on Tuesday endorsed efforts to develop "clean" energy while also calling on Congress to pass President Bush's energy bill that would increase oil and gas exploration.

Speaking at the last day of the Western Governors' Association annual conference, Bodman said the country must decrease its reliance on international supplies of oil and develop alternative energy sources such as solar, wind and nuclear power. "It is more important than ever to make the best possible use of these resources," he said.

To that end, he also endorsed the work at Golden's National Renewable Energy Laboratory, a leader in research of clean energy but an agency that has faced mixed messages of support from various presidential administrations over the years. "NREL is essential to the department's core energy mission. ... We feel quite strongly about that," Bodman said.

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New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson, a Democrat and former secretary of energy under President Clinton, applauded the Senate's version of the energy bill, which would impose strict limitations on companies that produce greenhouse gases, unlike the House version favored by the White House. "The House version is a disaster," said Richardson, a strong proponent of solar- and wind-energy development."

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http://www.denverpost.com/news/ci_2802575