Bush to Order Reduced Power Consumption in Federal Offices

President Bush today will order federal workers across the country to lower the lights, turn off office equipment not in use and take other steps to conserve electricity in an effort to ease possible energy shortages this summer in California and other states.

The president’s directive will call for setting thermostats in federal buildings at 78 degrees--and allowing casual dress on hot days--during power emergencies in California.

In Sacramento, a spokesman for Gov. Gray Davis challenged Washington to be as aggressive as state government in curtailing electricity use.

“While I appreciate the president’s proposal,” said spokesman Steve Maviglio, “surely the federal government can do more and match California’s 20% savings at all state buildings.”

The federal government employs more than 265,000 civilian workers in California.

However, most of the energy-saving mandates will apply to federal offices across the country, such as turning off nonessential lights at all times and unplugging coffee pots when not in use. Other measures in Bush’s directive include turning off escalators after hours and shutting down computers and printers when not in use.

Bush reportedly also will seek to reduce energy consumption at military bases.

Bush was expected to announce the conservation measures during a White House meeting with his energy advisors this afternoon, an administration official said.

The president also was planning to dispatch Energy Secretary Spencer Abraham to California to work out an implementation plan with federal officials.

The directive to adjust thermostats was reminiscent of President Jimmy Carter, who turned down the heat in the White House and other federal buildings during a worldwide energy crisis in 1979.

Though the conservation initiative is unlikely by itself to avert possible electricity shortages in California, federal agencies are the nation’s biggest energy users.

“What he wants to do is have the federal government set a good example and cut back on their energy use, especially during peak electricity demand,” the administration official said.

Bush has been criticized by some lawmakers and Democratic officials from California for not being more aggressive in responding to California’s troubles. Administration officials, who are drafting a national energy strategy, also have been assailed for promoting production too much and conservation too little.

The administration has contended that it has granted every one of the state’s requests for help except one: price controls on wholesale electricity supplies. It contends that price controls will discourage investment in new power plants.

Administration officials could not immediately say how many megawatts would be saved by the measures, or whether Bush would set a goal, such as a 10% cut in electricity use.

David Nemtzow, president of the Alliance to Save Energy, welcomed Bush’s call for conservation in California but worried that excessive measures in other states where there is not a crisis could make workers unnecessarily uncomfortable and unproductive. “Then, people turn off to conservation,” he said.

Nemtzow encouraged Bush to take steps to make federal buildings throughout the country more energy efficient. “I hope this is just the first step in a whole series of steps,” he said.