"By giving our workers the best technology and the best training, we will make sure that the American economy remains the most flexible, advanced, and productive in the world," the White House said in an executive summary of the proposals.

Bush was to travel Monday to the northern city Minneapolis, Minnesota, where he will present his ideas to an annual convention of the American Association of Community Colleges.

The trip coincides with a new uptick in retail gasoline prices, which crept up another three cents a gallon over the past two weeks to reach a national average of nearly 1.83 dollars a gallon (48 US cents, or around 41 euro cents, per litre), according to industry analysts.

Prices at the pump went up a total of 35 cents a gallon since before Christmas, threatening to put a crimp on the fledgling economic recovery that could hold the key to Bush's re-election on November 2.

The initiative calls for 350 million dollars in funding for new hydrogen research projects aimed at developing cleaner and more economical sources of energy, according to the White House.

The president will urge scientists, automakers and energy companies to work together on developing a vehicle powered by affordable hydrogen fuel cells and creating a hydrogen refueling infrastructure.

Progress in this area has been held back by the fact that existing fuel cells are 10 times more expensive than internal combustion engines, experts said.

Bush will also call for making broadband, or high-speed, Internet technology accessible to most Americans by 2007 -- and will urge Congress to pass legislation making access to broadband permanently tax-free.

"Broadband technology will enhance our nation's economic competitiveness and will help improve education and health care for all Americans," the White House summary said.

Despite its relatively recent introduction, broadband has already made significant inroads in practically every part of American society, according to a report released last week by the Pew Internet and American Life Project.

The group found that as many as 55 percent of American Internet users have access to this type of high-speed connection either at home or in the workplace.

Thirty-nine percent of US online users have broadband access at home.

The figures represent a 60-percent increase since March 2003, with half of that growth registered since last November.

Overall, 68 million Americans -- or 34 percent of the adult population -- have access to high-speed Internet connections either at home or on the job, according to the report.

Meanwhile, 48 million Americans have high-speed Internet access at home.

SPACE.WIRE