USA TODAY's editorial "Pleading is not a policy" argued that confronting our nation's energy challenges requires a suite of policy actions, including "additional domestic oil and gas production in Alaska and U.S. coastal waters," and "greater investment in energy technologies"(March 13). I couldn't agree more.

Indeed, as so many American families and small-business owners struggle with record-high energy prices, we must continue to work aggressively to diversify the energy options available to us.

But I strongly disagree with USA TODAY's suggestion that the Bush administration's strategy has amounted to little more than fruitless pleading to the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries. Under President Bush's leadership, we have put in place a series of federal policies to break our dependence on fossil fuels, improve our energy efficiency and harness the power of alternative fuels and renewable energy technologies.

Since the start of this administration, the federal government has spent more than $12 billion to research, develop and promote alternative energy sources.

Over the past year alone, the Energy Department has announced more than $1 billion of investments to spur the growth of a robust, sustainable biofuels industry.

The federal government continues to make critical investments in solar and wind power, hydrogen fuel cell technologies, plug-in hybrid vehicles, as well as cutting-edge clean-coal plants and the advanced nuclear power technologies that must be part of our energy mix. The list could go on and on.

This work has been underway for years and must continue. After all, the United States' energy challenges have been decades in the making and will not be solved overnight.

Our national strategy is not merely a reaction to high oil prices. It's a committed policy that seeks to address two of the most fundamental challenges we face: improving our energy security and addressing global climate change.

Today's high energy prices only underscore the urgency of these efforts.

Samuel W. Bodman, U.S. Secretary of Energy - Washington

Last Reviewed: 7/28/2008