2001 US press briefings
The James S. Brady Briefing Room
1:40 P.M. EDT
MR. FLEISCHER: Hello, recess anxious people. Good afternoon. In addition to personnel I have a readout on two phone calls the President made, and an opening statement about some important legislation pending on the Hill today concerning energy.
Personnel: President Bush today is announcing his intention to nominate six individuals to serve as United States attorneys, and his intention to nominate two individuals to serve as members of the federal judiciary. The individuals for U.S. attorney are: Timothy Burgess for the district of Alaska; Henry Mattice, Jr. for the eastern district of Tennessee; Robert McCampbell for the western district of Oklahoma; Paul McNulty for the eastern district of Virginia; Michael Mosman for the district of Oregon; and Strom Thurmond, Jr. for the district of South Carolina.
In addition, the President intends to nominate Marian B. Horn to be a judge of the United States Court of Federal Claims, and the President intends to nominate Charles F. Lettow to be a judge of the United States Court of Federal Claims.
This morning, President Bush telephoned Prime Ministers Blair and Ahern to state his strong support for the package proposals their government released today to the political party leaders in Northern Ireland. The President believes the package is fair and that it charts the way forward in areas central to the Good Friday Agreement. The proposals also recognize that a commitment to democrat governance and normalized security requires all parties to renounce violence and deal decisively with paramilitary weapons. Consequently, substantial progress on decommissioning is an essential part of today's package, in the President's opinion.
The President also reiterated in the phone calls the United States stands ready to help in any way that the governments and the parties find useful, and he urges all parties to do everything in their power to take the next steps to implement the Good Friday Agreement.
There will be a statement from the President coming out on this topic shortly after this briefing.
And finally, there will be a very important vote scheduled tonight in the House of Representatives on providing the first comprehensive national energy policy for our nation in many a year, at least a decade. The President is very pleased that the House is taking up one of his major priorities, and certainly a priority for the American people so they can be less dependent on foreign supplies of oil and have more stable and steady supplies of oil, gasoline, and increased conservation measures at home.
The action in the House is focused on increased conservation, promoting technology, expanding the use of renewables and increasing efficiency, increasing energy exploration and promoting a clean environment.
And just as a reminder, over the next 20 years, it's estimated that U.S. oil consumption will increase 33 percent and electricity demand will increase by 45 percent. The United States, as a country, relied on foreign supplies of oil to the degree of only 33 percent at the time we were vulnerable to price shocks as a result of the 1973 Arab oil embargo. The United States currently depends on -- 52 percent of its oil consumption on foreign nations. That's estimated, at current rates, to increase to 67 percent by 2020.
The action in the House today can pave the way to making America more energy-independent, and the President is pleased that the House is taking up this issue.
With that, I'm more than happy to take your questions.
Q Ari, on patients' bill of rights, there seems to be a little less optimism today about a deal, and that the sense is that whatever compromise might be hammered out, there's a very sort of loose, iffy chance of actually getting through. You might win it, squeaking by or you might lose it big. What's your read and the President's read on where things stand? And I'll have a follow-up. (Laughter.)
MR. FLEISCHER: The President remains -- I hear there's a follow-up. The President remains optimistic. Talks are ongoing as we speak. And last night, the White House negotiators met with their counterparts, with Congressman Norwood until just before midnight, and the President has been kept up on a regular basis, he frequently inquires. But the President is optimistic. He thinks it's terribly important that the nation have a patients' bill of rights, and that's why it is coming down to the last hour of the last day. But the President believes that in the end that a deal is reachable.