The Environmental Prez'dint

WASHINGTON - President Bush yesterday urged Americans to cut back on car trips amid warnings that the energy disruption from Hurricane Rita could be worse than initially thought...

"If it makes sense for the citizen out there to curtail nonessential travel, it darn sure makes sense for federal employees," Bush said. "We can encourage employees to car-pool or use mass transit, and we can shift peak electricity use to off-peak hours. There's ways for the federal government to lead when it comes to conservation."

The White House also will be looking at ways to conserve, press secretary Scott McClellan said, although that doesn't include a change in the president's plans to return to the region this week....