Exaggerated claims seem designed to promote some long-frustrated ambitions of the oil industry at the expense of environmental quality." Most of the Bush proposals, including the Alaska oil-drilling provision and the modernisation of the national grid, need approval by Congress and could face strong opposition from individual states.The environmental organisation Greenpeace dismissed Mr Bush's conservation measures as "window-dressing" and expressed disgust at what it said was a plan that would only increase US emissions of greenhouse gases, which are already the highest in the world. Greenpeace activists dumped five tonnes of coal and five fake oil and nuclear waste drums outside Mr Cheney's residence in north-west Washington. The drums were labelled with the names of the big oil companies. While many energy companies expressed satisfaction that the administration was addressing what they saw as a long-neglected problem, others were critical. Kenneth Woodcock, of the power giant AES Corp, said the plan leant too far towards the energy industries.

"This plan gets the government pushing too far on the supply side versus conservation and the environment," he said, "which really isn't the best path towards a balanced electricity and energy market.". A crime from a previous generation echoed through the historic US community of York yesterday when the city's mayor was charged with the racist murder of a black woman, allegedly carried out while he was a police officer 30 years ago. A crime from a previous generation echoed through the historic US community of York yesterday when the city's mayor was charged with the racist murder of a black woman, allegedly carried out while he was a police officer 30 years ago. Mayor Charlie Robertson surrendered himself to the authorities to be arraigned over the shooting of 27-year-old Lillie Belle Allen during race riots in 1969. He was later released on bail with a bond of $50,000.Mr Robertson, 67, who earlier this week beat a black candidate for the Democrat nomination for what would be his third term as mayor, is alleged to have provided ammunition to a co-defendant and instructed him to "kill as many niggers as you can".Yesterday as he surrendered himself to the office of the district justice for the brief hearing, a tearful Mr Robertson insisted he was not guilty of the charge he faces. "I maintain my innocence," he said.Mr Robertson is the latest of a number of former police officers to be charged over the killing, which took place during 10 days of race riots in July 1969. He had faced speculation over his involvement in Ms Allen's death since the first defendants in the case were arrested last month.The mayor himself has admitted to a grand jury investigating the crime that he attended a rally the night before the young woman's death at which he shouted "white power".

He also admitted that on the night she was killed he borrowed a rifle and ammunition from a neighbour before he went on patrol ­ a precaution taken, he said, after a rookie police officer had been shot dead three days earlier.But the affidavit filed with the charges yesterday quotes Rick Knouse ­ one of five other police officers charged over the killing ­ as saying that Mr Robertson gave him clear instructions on how to behave that night. He says he was handed the hunting rifle and a box of ammunition and told to "kill as many niggers as you can". Mr Knouse says he fired the fatal shots at a car in which Ms Allen was travelling.Another witness quoted in the affidavit says Mr Robertson said at the time: "If I weren't a cop, I'd be leading white commando raids against niggers in the black neighbourhoods."News of the mayor's impending arrest came hours after he secured the Democrat nomination for mayor, beating his black opponent, Ray Crenshaw, by 43 votes.While he has denied any involvement in Ms Allen's death, Mr Robertson has admitted that he developed racist feelings after his father was allegedly mugged by three black men in the 1950s. "I tried so hard when I was a police officer not to let that interfere," he said. He added that the city's police department had a racist culture throughout the 1960s.The race riots of 1969 began after a white gang member shot and wounded a young black man in the city.