Bush unveiled his Advanced Energy Initiative during the speech. The plan will increase U.S. Department of Energy clean energy research by 22 percent to improve the performance of power plants and vehicles. Bush also set a national goal to replace 75 percent of the country´s Middle Eastern oil imports by 2025.

"Here we have a serious problem -- America is addicted to oil, which is often imported from unstable parts of the world," he said. "The best way to break this addiction is technology."

The Advanced Energy Initiative will invest more research and development into zero-emission coal-fired power plants, solar and wind power and nuclear energy.

It also will push the development of hydrogen-fueled vehicles and better batteries for electric and hybrid vehicles as well as new methods of producing ethanol from corn and other biomass sources, such as wood waste and switchgrass. The government´s goal is to make the new ethanol production practical and competitive within six years, Bush said.

"We´re on the threshold of incredible advances," he said. "By applying the talent and technology of America, this country can dramatically improve our environment, move beyond a petroleum-based economy and make our dependence on Middle Eastern oil a thing of the past."