Des Moines Register
05-22-06
A bold idea: Hold fuels summit in Iowa
Use forum to jumpstart presidential crusade.
REGISTER EDITORIAL BOARD
Newt Gingrich, who likes to think of his Republican Party as the party of ideas, had a good one the other day.
During an interview on "Meet the Press" a week ago, Gingrich suggested that
President Bush convene a national summit on renewable fuels at Iowa State
University.
That would be the right topic at the right place at the right time.
In his Jan. 31 State of the Union address, Bush called for a major effort to break what he called America's addiction to oil. But the initiative has not had a very high profile since then, despite the uproar over high gasoline prices.
Developing alternative energy sources needs to move to the top of the national agenda and stay there. Surely the public would respond enthusiastically if the president elevated oil independence to the level of national scientific crusades of the past, such as the Manhattan Project and the Apollo program. (Iowa State, coincidentally, had a role in the Manhattan Project.)
"I think the country wants us to lead," Gingrich said. We think he's right.
He proposed the summit with "all the major players" in attendance, followed by congressional action within 30 days on a "very substantial renewable-fuels bill."
Getting all the players together in a highly visible national forum would provide the president a bully pulpit from which to launch an oil-independence crusade.
Invitations should go to the best scientific minds in the country, plus representatives of the energy companies, the auto industry and public-interest groups. Proposals springing from such a forum should have enough credibility to enable the president to press Congress for swift action.
Gingrich didn't say why he chose Iowa State (other than that Iowa's 2008 presidential caucuses might be on his mind), but Iowa is the leader in the renewable-fuel technology of ethanol and among the leaders in harnessing the wind.
Iowa State would be an excellent location, and, of course, hosting the summit

would be a feather in the state's cap. Iowa is well positioned to develop its credentials as the go-to state for expertise on renewable fuels. Having the presidential imprimatur on a summit here would be a great beginning.
A bold initiative in an area where Americans are yearning for leadership could be a great new beginning for Bush, too. He could leave no better legacy than as the president who freed America from petroleum dependence.