    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2001, Book II)]
    [July 31, 2001]
    [Pages 930-933]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    Remarks on Signing an Executive Order on Energy Efficiency and an
    Exchange With Reporters
    July 31, 2001

        The President. Thank you all for coming. Mr. Secretary, Larry Lindsey, thank you
    for being here today. I'm signing an Executive order fulfilling a
    promise that I made that our Federal agencies must lead the way for
    energy conservation.
        One of the ways that our Nation wastes energy is through what they
    call vampire devices. These would be battery chargers, cell phone
    chargers, computer systems that we--we really think we're not using
    energy when plugged in but, in fact, are. And so we've set what we call
    a one-watt standard throughout the Federal Government, that we expect
    our agencies to be ridding themselves of the vampires and using energy
    conservation devices.
        The Secretary of Energy has agreed to
    lead this project, and I'm so thankful for it. The Federal Government
    can be good stewards of our resources, and we fully intend to be.
        There's an energy bill working its way through Congress which will
    encourage new technologies that will help save energy, that will call
    for research and development to make sure that we're wise about how we
    use the scarce resources we have in America. But it's also a bill that
    recognizes that, while on the one hand we must conserve, we also must
    find additional sources of energy, such as natural gas. And that's why I
    think it is very important for Congress to pass a balanced energy plan,
    one that includes the capacity to drill for, explore for, and find
    natural gas throughout our entire country, including Alaska. And I'm
    confident we can do so in an environmentally friendly way.
        I urge the Members of the House of Representatives to support the
    energy bill that will include allowing for there to be a small amount of
    exploration in ANWR that will yield a lot of energy on behalf of the
    people of America.

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        And so it's now my honor to sign this Executive order and look
    forward to working with the Secretary, to
    show the Nation--to show the Nation how best to use technologies to
    conserve energy.
        Thank you, Mr. Secretary.

    [At this point, the President signed the Executive order.]

        I'd be glad to answer a few questions. Gregory [David Gregory, NBC
    News], you look like you have something on your mind. [Laughter]

    Patients' Bill of Rights

        Q. Mr. President, do you have a deal on a Patients' Bill of Rights
    bill now with Congressman Norwood? Can you tell us what the outlines of
    that might be?
        The President. Well, Congressman Norwood
    came into my office, and he said, ``Mr. President, would you like to
    talk about the possibility of reaching an agreement on a Patients' Bill
    of Rights?'' I said, ``You bet.'' After all, in a speech I gave early in
    my administration, I not only outlined the principles of a bill that
    would be unacceptable, I more importantly said I would like to see a
    piece of legislation that protects consumers and doesn't reward lawyers.
        So he brought some ideas right here in
    the Oval Office. He felt like he needed to go back and discuss them with
    some of the bill sponsors, Senators, and other Members of the House of
    Representatives. I'm hopeful that he will shake the hand of
    accommodation that I put out for him, and I believe there's room for
    compromise, and I'm more than willing to try to do so with him.
        We don't have a specific deal yet, David, to answer your question,
    but we're making good progress.
        Q. What are you offering that you think will be acceptable?
        The President. I'm offering to sign a bill and not veto it. And
    that's pretty powerful incentive for someone to try to come up with an
    agreement. I will not sign a bill that I think will end up tossing
    people out of health insurance. And if we have too much litigation, if
    we encourage lawsuits, costly lawsuits, it could drive up the health
    care for people; it will drive people off the health care rolls; and it
    will make it very difficult for small-business people to afford health
    care; and I'm deeply concerned about that.

    National Commission on Federal Election Reform Report

        Q. Mr. President, today you received the election reforms report
    from President Carter and President Ford. If those reforms had been in
    place already, for the last election, do you think you'd be sitting in
    this room today?
        The President. It would have been a landslide. [Laughter] Who knows?
    But I do appreciate the report. I most appreciate that President
    Carter, himself, delivered the report to me.
    Former Congressman Michel, on behalf of
    President Ford, was here. I walked right out
    of the Oval Office, having gotten briefed, and stood in front of the
    American people, and said, ``This is a very good report.''
        And there is a lot of positive things in it, including making sure
    that America's networks don't prejudge elections by calling them too
    early. And there are a lot of other reforms in there that make sense. I
    urge Congress to take a good, close look at them.
        I think it's very important to note that one of the principles
    involved in the Carter-Ford report was that the elections really are
    local, that the Federal Government should enable and help local
    jurisdictions develop practices that make sure every vote matters,
    practices that make sure that our voting rolls and registers are up to
    date--you know, that people aren't registered three or four times across
    a State, that people who are eligible to vote are those who are the ones
    who should be voting.

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        But I was impressed by the report. I thought it had a lot of very
    serious recommendations. And I hope Congress takes it seriously.
        Yes, Steve [Steve Holland, Reuters].

    Trade Promotion Authority

        Q. Mr. President, House Republican leaders say that they don't have
    enough votes for fast track, so they're going to have to delay action
    until September. Why is it proving so hard to get fast track?
        The President. Some people in America don't believe in free trade.
    Some folks believe that a protectionist policy would be best for our
    country's economy and the workers. I strongly disagree.
        I think trade offers promise for people who want to find work. Trade
    is important to enhance the growth of small businesses. Trade is
    important in our own hemisphere. Trade has been important to make sure
    we've got good relations with Mexico. After all, we want our neighbors
    to do well; it's a neighborly way to think. And if Mexico and Canada do
    well, America will do well as well. So trade is important. Trade is an
    important--it's also an important part of making sure the world is more
    free.
        But there are some who resist trade because they don't see its
    benefits. And my job and the job of those of us who strongly see the
    benefits and know the benefits of free trade will continue to work hard
    until we get a piece of legislation that enables the President of the
    United States to make sure that America is involved in the world, that
    we don't miss out on opportunities for the working people of America to
    find jobs, that we don't miss out on the opportunities for our farmers
    and ranchers to find markets to feed people. We're the best in the world
    at growing crops, and we need to make sure that our farmers and ranchers
    have the capacity to sell their product in overseas markets. It's to the
    benefit of our economy. It's a benefit to the people who take risk in
    America.
        I believe we'll get a trade promotion authority bill out. Whether or
    not we get it done before August is obviously, you know, up in the air.
    But I believe when it's all said and done, that Congress will realize
    the benefits of free trade for the people of America.

    Situation in the Middle East

        Q. What is your view of the kind of targeted attack the Israelis
    carried out on Hamas today? And do you plan to step up your involvement
    in the Middle East?
        The President. I spoke to King Abdullah of Jordan this morning. I was very much involved, continue to remain
    actively involved in the process. And step one, in order to get to
    Mitchell, is to break the cycle of violence.
        As I told the King, His Majesty, all of
    us--all of us--have got to work together to convince both parties to
    stop the cycle. And obviously, we've got a lot of work to do, but it is
    important to get to Mitchell. But the first step in getting into
    Mitchell is for there to be significantly reduced violence, and that's
    not the case right now. And so all the world must continue to say to
    both sides, break the cycle of violence, and then we can get into the
    Mitchell process.
        Obviously, I'm--I wish the levels of violence were lower than they
    are today. A couple of weeks ago it looked like we had made progress,
    and then the violence spiked. That means the United States will continue
    to stay actively involved and urging there to be calm and urging both
    parties to resist the temptation to resort to violence.

    Note: The President spoke at 2:53 p.m. in the Oval Office at the White
    House. In his remarks, he referred to the Report of the Sharm el-Sheikh
    Fact-Finding Committee, chaired by former Senator George J. Mitchell,
    issued April 30. The President also referred to ANWR, the Arctic
    National Wildlife Refuge. The Executive order on energy

    [[Page 933]]

    efficient standby power devices is listed in Appendix D at the end of
    this volume.