SACRAMENTO, Aug 16, 2008 -- UPI

California Attorney General Jerry Brown says the federal government should look to the Golden State for ways to improve energy efficiency.

In an interview with Legal Newsline, Brown said the United States must wean itself of foreign oil and would save billions of dollars through energy more efficiently.

"There is massive gain to be realized from efficiency," Brown said, "but the federal government has been asleep. California has proven you can save billions of dollars. And it's criminal the way the federal government has ignored its leadership in this area."

Brown this week took a challenge from the editors of The Wall Street Journal, writing on how he would invest $10 billion in the next four years to save the country.

Brown, a Democrat, said he would "invest it in curbing our energy appetite through efficiency programs and incentives" that would, in effect, reduce U.S. dependency on oil, gas and coal.

"We are talking about new kinds of engines and designs on everything from refrigerators to automobiles," Brown told Legal Newsline.

The proposal could be paid for by reallocating resources, he said.

"How do we afford to buy the foreign oil?" Brown asked. "The fact is we can't afford not to. That is why efficiencies are critical."

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