President proposing $2.7 billion in spending for alternative energy research

President George Bush is urging Congress to work together with him and approve new proposals to reduce America's dependence on foreign oil and diversify its energy supply.

In his weekly radio address Saturday, Mr. Bush said energy policy was an area of great potential for bipartisan cooperation.

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Mr. Bush called on Democrats to approve the budget he submitted to Congress earlier this week, which proposes $2.7 billion in spending for alternative energy research.

Mr. Bush says the budget is a key step toward reaching his national goal to reduce America's gasoline consumption by 20 percent over the next 10 years.

On the supply side, Mr. Bush proposes raising mandatory fuel standards to require an increased use of renewable and alternative fuels. On the demand side, he says he wants to raise fuel economy standards to make cars more energy efficient.

Some information for this report was provided by AP and Reuters.