Remarks to the American Legislative Exchange Council in Grapevine, Texas

Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents, August 8, 2005

I set out some priorities this winter, priorities to adhere to our principle that the role of Government is not to create wealth; the role of Government is to create an environment in which the entrepreneurial spirit can flourish, in which dreamers can be--realize big dreams. And as they do, they'll employ more of our fellow citizens.

I'm proud to report to you that we're making headway when it comes to legal reform. We've got too many junk lawsuits that make it hard for people to create jobs in America. We passed class-action reform. We passed bankruptcy reform hope we can get asbestos reform done. I tell you one other thing we need to get done in Washington, DC, this fall. For the sake of good health care, to make sure health care is available and affordable, Congress needs to pass medical liability reform and get it on my desk.

I told the United States Congress this country needs to develop an energy strategy. We should have done that 10 years ago. We should have developed a strategy that would help us diversify away from foreign sources of oil. And finally, after years of work, I'm proud to announce I'll be signing next week a comprehensive energy bill. And it's a good piece of legislation. It's a legislation that encourages domestic production. It's a piece of legislation that encourages conservation. It's also a piece of legislation that recognizes, over time, we must diversify away from our dependence on hydrocarbons. That's why we're now promoting nuclear energy. It makes sense for this country to use safe, clean nuclear power.

We've got plenty of coal in America. We're now spending the money to make sure we burn it wisely so that we can protect our environment. In this bill, we've got good clean coal technology research and development. I believe that the best way to end our dependence on foreign sources of energy is to figure out how to use different kind of automobiles. And I believe hydrogen power is going to be the source of power that will allow us to diversify over time. And this bill is good about promoting research and development for hydrogen automobiles.

Some of you from the Midwest may remember we had a problem with our electricity grid. This is a bill that modernizes the electricity grid and gets rid of old laws that prevent utilities from being able to raise money efficiently in the capital market. This is a good piece of legislation. It's a legislation that sets us on our way for independence from foreign sources of oil. I'm proud to sign it next week in New Mexico, and I want to thank the Members of the House and the Senate for getting it done.

Congress recently passed the patient safety bill which improves health care by reducing medical errors. Congress passed the highway bill. We had a little problem getting that bill done over the last couple of years because we had a disagreement about the right number. I felt that the number ought to be fiscally--a fiscally responsible number. We worked hard with Members of the Senate and the House. I'll be proud to sign a fiscally responsible highway bill next Wednesday in the State of Illinois.