The Wall Street Journal-20080205-Politics - Economics- Paper Chased- Budget To Print Budget Is Cut

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Politics & Economics: Paper Chased: Budget To Print Budget Is Cut

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WASHINGTON -- It turns out President Bush is something of a tree hugger after all.

To save money and paper, the White House has scaled back the number of printed paper copies of Mr. Bush's 2009 budget, which includes four hefty volumes and runs more than 2,000 pages.

In years past, the White House's Office of Management and Budget distributed about 3,000 copies of the budget free to media outlets, congressional offices and elsewhere in the capital. This year, those folks must buy a printed copy or access one free online.

The change is expected to drive down demand for hard copies of the budget, sparing an estimated 20 tons of paper, or 480 trees, and saving taxpayers about $1 million over five years, according to the OMB.

Some congressmen are using the digital foray as an opportunity to take pot-shots at the president. "It is telling that President Bush didn't even bother to print copies of his final budget," Senate Budget Committee Chairman Kent Conrad (D., N.D.), said in a written release. "Perhaps he just ran out of red ink."

The Government Printing Office still ran off 29,491 copies of the fiscal 2009 budget, down from 33,667 copies last year, according to GPO spokesman Gary Somerset. Members of the public pay $213 a copy. Members of Congress and federal officials pay $67.50.

OMB spokeswoman Jane Lee said many use the print edition once or twice and then "place it on their bookshelves to rot."