Clinton, Gore Urge Vigilance on Combating Climate Change

Leaders in politics, business and science all expressed a sense of urgency Monday as they met to discuss ways to tackle climate change, as well as the country's dependence on foreign oil, at a clean energy summit in Washington.

The summit, called the National Clean Energy Project, brought in Al Gore, Bill Clinton, oilman T. Boone Pickens and dozens of other high-profile speakers.

Gore and Clinton both used their appearances to warn against allowing lower oil prices to stall clean-energy efforts.

Gore, the Nobel prize winner who has focused on global warming since losing the presidency in 2000, said oil prices are like a roller coaster and will go up again.

He said that the country must reduce carbon dioxide pollution from the burning of fossil fuels and "we've got to wean ourselves from this dangerous foreign oil."

In the past, Clinton said, "oil dropped and everybody said give us our Hummer back."

But breaking dependence on foreign oil is one of the top goals for organizers behind the summit. The other is converting the current U.S. electricity grid so that it is powered by renewable energy sources like wind and solar. Proponents say much of the baseline infrastructure is in place, but that finding a way to transport the energy that's been harnessed is key.

"The renewables are over there and the need is over here. That's what drives the requirement -- if we're going to maximize the ability to produce renewable energy, there's an absolute requirement that we connect America," said Sen. Byron Dorgan, D-N.D.

But skeptics say American consumers need to know that any plan to abandon current sources of electricity will likely show up in their bills.

Pickens, who made a fortune in oil and is now spending millions to ask Americans to pursue alternative options, said he's starting to believe the effort will soon pay off.

"I always wanted a plan, and now I'm going to see a plan," he said Monday.

Though it may be tough to motivate Americans to buy into renewable energy when most are paying less than $2-a-gallon for gas, Pickens predicted oil would once again hit $140 a barrel within two years -- pushing the price at the pump to over $4-a-gallon.

He said if the U.S. waits until then to pursue clean energy options, it will have lost valuable time.
Leaders on Monday also warned about the threats to national security posed by the nation's lingering dependence on foreign oil.

"Seventy percent of oil that we use comes from places like Venezuela and unstable Middle East," Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid noted. "Last year we spent about $500 billion, a half a trillion dollars, giving money to these countries for oil."

FOX News' Shannon Bream and The Associated Press contributed to this report.