George W. Bush visited Golden, Colo., today to tour the National Renewable Energy Laboratory and to tout his plan to overcome America's "addiction" to foreign oil.
Problem: One week after Bush unveiled his energy initiatives during his State of the Union address, the lab he visited today had to lay off 32 of its employees to compensate for budget cuts the White House and the Republican-controlled Congress previously imposed on the nation's renewable energy programs.
Problem solved: Over the weekend -- which is to say, just before the president was to visit -- the laid-off workers got their jobs back when Bush administration Energy Secretary Samuel Bodman ordered $5 million transferred to the contractor that runs the lab.
Salon | February 21, 2006
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