Nov 05 - United Press International

Clean-energy advocates say it is time to get started fulfilling the presidential campaign rhetoric about boosting the use of green fuels in the United States.

Kateri Callahan, president of the Alliance for Clean Energy, said Wednesday that President-elect Barack Obama recognized the economic and environmental benefits of increasing energy efficiency and alternative fuels.

"The alliance also will ask the new administration and the Congress to use energy efficiency as a cornerstone of any economic stimulus package that may emerge next year," Callahan said in written statement.

The clean-fuels industry was also looking forward to a greater role in the U.S. energy market in the coming years.

The Renewable Fuels Association, which represents U.S. ethanol producers, said in a written statement that Obama was a supporter of their industry during the campaign. The RFA added that it looked forward to "continuing consistent public policies that allow investments in technology and infrastructure to be made with confidence."

The natural gas industry was also eager to play what it saw as an increasing role in the U.S. energy mix.

"We will work with (Obama's) administration to ensure new supplies of clean-burning, American natural gas," Barry Russell, president and CEO of the Independent Petroleum Association of America, said in a statement from the Natural Gas Council. "We also look forward to working with him on the federal resource leasing process, including the recently expired offshore moratoria and the necessity of acquiring new leases."