WASHINGTON — Sen. Chuck Grassley today is encouraging President Bush to quickly develop a comprehensive energy plan that helps alleviate the financial burden faced by Iowans with extremely high energy bills.

In a letter to Bush today, Grassley complimented the president for naming a cabinet-level task force to develop an energy plan. He said that government policies have constrained conventional power generation and discouraged new domestic oil and gas exploration and production. "Our nation's energy policy over the past eight years has directly led to the dire situation many Iowans are facing today," Grassley said.

Citing increased demand for natural gas as an efficient, reliable and environmentally clean energy source, Grassley encouraged the president to increase domestic production of the fuel. "Natural gas has now become the fuel of choice for both consumers and electricity generation in America. Although existing natural gas resources are adequate for the near term, access to vast resources on federal lands is vital to meet future demand," Grassley said.

Demand for natural gas increased in 2000 by 4.3 percent from 1999, and is estimated to grow by 30 percent or more over the next decade. Current estimates show that 200 trillion cubic feet of natural gas reserves – which represents 10 years of supply at today's consumption level – is currently subject to federal access restrictions. The principal factor in providing economically-accessible natural gas is federal land access, Grassley said.

Grassley also encouraged Bush to take action to decrease U.S. dependence on foreign sources of oil and diversify domestic energy production, including renewable sources like wind, biomass, soy diesel and ethanol. Currently, 58 percent of U.S. crude oil supply comes from foreign sources and U.S. dependence on foreign oil is estimated to reach 65 percent by 2020.

"We must support and encourage responsible resource development, while using our best technology to protect our environment, to increase energy production," Grassley said. "Alternative sources of energy can provide a viable solution to America's dependence on finite fossil fuels."

In 1992, Grassley authored legislation to provide the first ever tax incentive for wind energy production. In 1997, Grassley pushed a ten-year extension of the tax credit for corn-based ethanol through Congress.