Kerry Would Spend

Kerry Would Spend $20B to Develop Alternative Fuels

Aug 09 - Record, The; Bergen County, N.J.

SMITHVILLE, Mo. - Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry on Friday pressed the case for American energy independence as a step toward better national security, talking to farmers on the western edge of Missouri.

Kerry, clad in jeans and seated in front of a small field of corn at the Nelson family farm, promoted ethanol and other grain-based fuels as a way to lessen dependence on foreign oil. He said energy independence becomes more important when the United States is at war, "the war on terror, where much of the focus of that war is in the Middle East."

"Guess what else is in the Middle East?" Kerry asked. "Oil."

To increase American energy production and reduce reliance on foreign oil, Kerry and running mate John Edwards want to create a $20 billion fund to finance research and development of alternative and renewable fuels. The fund would promote energy sources such as natural gas, coal, and nuclear and renewable energy.

Kerry says one-fifth of the fuels powering U.S. cars and trucks should come from such energy sources as corn and soybeans by 2020.

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