During a conference of liberal activists, Redford - who owns the Sundance Institute in Utah - said it's up to Americans to stand up and do what they can to promote renewable energies and end pollution over Bush administration denials that global warming exists.
"Forget this administration," Redford said at a conference for the Campaign for America's Future, titled "Take Back America." "They're not going to change. You can't reason with a stone."
Redford said later at a news conference that his Institute has sponsored conferences on global warming, that his resort recycles and has protected some 5,500 acres of forest in Utah County. He promised to devote efforts to focus on renewable energies and less dependence on oil, though he gave no specifics.
Earlier Monday, Senate Democratic Leader Harry Reid of Nevada charged that the Bush White House may be the friendliest to oil companies in the country's history.
"The Republican solution is drill, drill, drill," Reid said, "but we can't drill our way out of the problem."
The three-day conference in Washington features a litany of Democrats on its speakers list, including Sen. Hillary Clinton and House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi.
Republican National Committee regional spokeswoman Brooke Buchanan countered the conference's message, saying the president and Republicans have a strong record on energy and Democrats are distorting the issue.
She pointed to provisions in the president's budget to boost wind-energy research and more money for solar energy. She charged that Democrats have opposed ways to lower gas prices, such as blocking drilling in a portion of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.
Asked about Redford's comments, Buchanan said it was more of a "Harry Reid issue."
"He's become such a nauseating mouthpiece of negativity that he now relies on Hollywood liberal star power to gain credibility on these issues," she said.
tburr@sltrib.com
On the waiting list
* Redford said Monday on National Public Radio's "The Diane Rehm Show" that he has a Toyota Highlander hybrid vehicle on order. He said he has been trying to get a hybrid vehicle for years, but promises from acquaintances to secure one have fallen through.
