WASHINGTON, April 16: Under pressure over rising gasoline prices, President George W. Bush said on Saturday that energy legislation to be debated on Capitol Hill must encourage conservation and increased production of energy at home. Bush introduced energy legislation four years ago that languished in Congress through his first term. With gasoline prices hovering at record levels, he and members of Congress are feeling the heat from anxious Americans.

American families and small businesses across the country are feeling the pinch from rising gas prices, Bush said in his weekly radio address. If you’re trying to meet a family budget or a payroll, even a small change at the pump can have a big impact.

Next week, Congress is to debate energy legislation and Bush will give a speech on Wednesday about America’s energy woes and ways to improve supply. He will speak to the US-Hispanic Chambers of Commerce Legislative Conference in Washington.

In his radio address, he said he wanted energy legislation to encourage the use of technology to improve conservation.

We must find smarter ways to meet our energy needs, and we must encourage Americans to make better choices about energy consumption, he said.

The energy legislation, he said, must also encourage more production of energy at home, diversify the energy supply by developing alternative sources such as ethanol or bio-diesel and find better, more reliable ways to deliver energy to consumers by upgrading transmission lines and pipelines.

Bush, who worked in the oil business early in his career, said US energy consumption had increased by about 4 per cent, while domestic production had dropped by 1 per cent in the past three years.

That means more of our energy is coming from abroad. To meet our energy needs and strengthen our national security, we must make America less dependent on foreign sources of energy, he said.

Bush is expected to discuss high prices when he meets this month with Saudi Crown Prince Abdullah at his Crawford, Texas, ranch on April 25.

As examples, Bodman cited renewable motor fuels like ethanol, bio-diesel and clean diesel.—Reuters