Bush Unveils Methane Plan
Yesterday, Bush administration officials unveiled a plan that would encourage the manufacture and export of technology to harvest methane emissions for use as a fuel. The administration pledged up to $53 million as seed money (expected to be matched by considerably more private investment) to help private companies develop the technology and create an international market for methane. To start, seven countries have pledged to join the effort: Australia, India, Italy, Japan, Mexico, the U.K., and the Ukraine. Canada and Russia have also expressed interest. Methane, the second most common greenhouse gas — after carbon dioxide, emissions of which Bush has refused to regulate, despite a campaign promise in 2000 — can be harvested from landfills, coal mines, and industrial processes. Speaking from his ranch in Crawford, Texas, Bush pitched the plan as a way to fight global warming.
