Bush Will Use Address to Focus on Alternative Fuels and Nuclear Plants

WASHINGTON, Jan. 30 - President Bush will renew a call for the development of alternative fuel for automobiles and promote the construction of new nuclear power plants in his State of the Union address on Tuesday night, White House officials said Monday.

After years of partisan arguments over the administration's efforts to open new parts of the country for oil and gas drilling, Mr. Bush will cast his discussion of nonoil sources of energy as an economic imperative for the United States and a national security necessity to reduce dependence on Middle Eastern oil.

The issues have been part of Mr. Bush's agenda for years, but never a top priority. He will use his address to refocus attention on them at a time when oil is selling at more than $68 a barrel, close to its all-time high, and Americans are worried about the cost of fueling their cars and heating their homes.

White House officials said the address would contain no expensive policy initiatives at a time of growing deficits and when Congress would be focused on midterm elections. Mr. Bush will also use the address to announce new proposals in health care, fiscal policy and what White House officials are calling "American competitiveness," which includes investing in math and science and job training.

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