3/30/2011 Obama announces blueprint for secure U.S. energy future
Washington, U.S. President Barack Obama on Wednesday unveiled a "Blueprint for A Secure Energy Future" that outlines the comprehensive national energy policy he and members of his administration have pursued since taking office in early 2009.
"Meeting this new goal of cutting our oil dependence depends largely on two things: finding and producing more oil at home, and reducing our dependence on oil with cleaner alternative fuels and greater efficiency," he said during a speech at Georgetown University.
This begins by continuing to increase America's oil supply, he said. Last year, U.S. oil production reached its highest level since 2003, "and for the first time in more than a decade, oil we imported accounted for less than half the liquid fuel we consumed," Obama said. To keep reducing that reliance on imports, the administration is encouraging offshore oil exploration and production, as long as it is safe and responsible, he said. "I do not think anyone has forgotten that we are not even a year removed from the largest oil spill in our history," the President said, referring to the massive Gulf of Mexico oil spill that began last April.
"I know the people of the Gulf Coast have not. What we learned from that disaster helped us put in place smarter standards of safety and responsibility - for example, if you are going to drill in deep water, you have got to prove that you can actually contain an underwater spill." Today, U.S. officials are working to expedite new drilling permits for companies that meet these standards, he noted. "Since they were put in place, we have approved 39 new shallow water permits, and we have approved an additional 7 deep-water permits in recent weeks," Obama said.
"When it comes to drilling on shore, my administration approved more than two permits last year for every new well that the industry started to drill. So any claim that my administration is responsible for gas prices because we have 'shut down' oil production might make for a useful political sound bite, but it does not track with reality." In fact, "we are pushing the oil industry to take advantage of the opportunities they already have," he said.
Right now, the industry holds tens of millions of acres of leases where it is not producing a drop - sitting on supplies of American energy just waiting to be tapped, Obama said. "That is why part of our plan is to provide new and better incentives that promote rapid, responsible development of these resources," he said. "We are also exploring and assessing new frontiers for oil and gas development from Alaska to the mid- and south Atlantic, because producing more oil in America can help lower oil prices, create jobs and enhance our energy security." But this is not the long-term solution to the U.S. energy challenge, because America holds only about 2 percent of the world's proven oil reserves, "and even if we drilled every drop of oil out of every one of those reserves, it still would not be enough to meet our long-term needs," the President said.
The only way for America's energy supply to be truly secure is by permanently reducing U.S. dependence on oil, he said. "We have to find ways to boost our efficiency so that we use less oil," Obama said. "We have to discover and produce cleaner, renewable sources of energy with less of the carbon pollution that threatens our climate, and we have to do it quickly." Recent innovations have provided the opportunity to tap large reserves of natural gas, perhaps a century's worth, from shale in the ground, he said. Another substitute for oil that holds tremendous promise is renewable biofuels - not just ethanol, but biofuels made from things such as switchgrass, wood chips and biomass, he said.
"As we replace oil with fuels like natural gas and biofuels, we can also reduce our dependence by making cars and trucks that use less oil in the first place," the President said. "Going forward, we will continue working with automakers, autoworkers and states to ensure that the high-quality, fuel-efficient cars and trucks of tomorrow are built right here in America," he said.
"This summer, we will propose the first-ever fuel efficiency standard for heavy-duty trucks, aand this fall, we will announce the next round of fuel standards for cars that builds on what we have done." The President said his administration has made historic investments in high-speed rail and mass transit, "because part of making our transportation sector cleaner and more efficient involves offering Americans - urban, suburban and rural - the choice to be mobile without having to get in a car and pay for gas." There are few breakthroughs as promising for increasing fuel efficiency and reducing dependence on oil as electric vehicles, he said.
A modest 2 billion-dollar investment in competitive grants for companies to develop the next generation of batteries for these cars has jump-started a big new American industry, he added. "Soon, America will be home to 40 percent of global manufacturing capacity for these batteries, and that means jobs," Obama said. "But to make sure we stay on the road to this goal, we need to do more by offering more powerful incentives to consumers, and by rewarding the communities that pave the way for adoption of these vehicles."
On the goal of having Americans waste less energy, the President said his administration has proposed "new programs to help Americans upgrade their homes and businesses and plants with new, energy-efficient building materials like lighting, windows, heating and cooling - investments that will save consumers and business owners tens of billions of dollars a year, free up money for investment and hiring, and create jobs for workers and contractors."
The President said his new Clean Energy Standard for America would mean that by 2035, 80 percent of U.S. electricity will come from an array of clean-energy sources, from renewables such as wind and solar to efficient natural gas to clean coal and nuclear power. Turning to nuclear power, Obama said he was determined to ensure that it is safe.
"That is why I have requested a comprehensive safety review by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission to make sure that all of our existing nuclear energy facilities are safe," he said. "We will incorporate those conclusions and lessons from Japan in designing and building the next generation of plants, and my administration is leading global discussions toward a new international framework in which all countries operate their nuclear plants without spreading dangerous nuclear materials and technology," he added.
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This begins by continuing to increase America's oil supply, he said. Last year, U.S. oil production reached its highest level since 2003, "and for the first time in more than a decade, oil we imported accounted for less than half the liquid fuel we consumed," Obama said. To keep reducing that reliance on imports, the administration is encouraging offshore oil exploration and production, as long as it is safe and responsible, he said. "I do not think anyone has forgotten that we are not even a year removed from the largest oil spill in our history," the President said, referring to the massive Gulf of Mexico oil spill that began last April.
"I know the people of the Gulf Coast have not. What we learned from that disaster helped us put in place smarter standards of safety and responsibility - for example, if you are going to drill in deep water, you have got to prove that you can actually contain an underwater spill." Today, U.S. officials are working to expedite new drilling permits for companies that meet these standards, he noted. "Since they were put in place, we have approved 39 new shallow water permits, and we have approved an additional 7 deep-water permits in recent weeks," Obama said.
"When it comes to drilling on shore, my administration approved more than two permits last year for every new well that the industry started to drill. So any claim that my administration is responsible for gas prices because we have 'shut down' oil production might make for a useful political sound bite, but it does not track with reality." In fact, "we are pushing the oil industry to take advantage of the opportunities they already have," he said.
Right now, the industry holds tens of millions of acres of leases where it is not producing a drop - sitting on supplies of American energy just waiting to be tapped, Obama said. "That is why part of our plan is to provide new and better incentives that promote rapid, responsible development of these resources," he said. "We are also exploring and assessing new frontiers for oil and gas development from Alaska to the mid- and south Atlantic, because producing more oil in America can help lower oil prices, create jobs and enhance our energy security." But this is not the long-term solution to the U.S. energy challenge, because America holds only about 2 percent of the world's proven oil reserves, "and even if we drilled every drop of oil out of every one of those reserves, it still would not be enough to meet our long-term needs," the President said.
The only way for America's energy supply to be truly secure is by permanently reducing U.S. dependence on oil, he said. "We have to find ways to boost our efficiency so that we use less oil," Obama said. "We have to discover and produce cleaner, renewable sources of energy with less of the carbon pollution that threatens our climate, and we have to do it quickly." Recent innovations have provided the opportunity to tap large reserves of natural gas, perhaps a century's worth, from shale in the ground, he said. Another substitute for oil that holds tremendous promise is renewable biofuels - not just ethanol, but biofuels made from things such as switchgrass, wood chips and biomass, he said.
"As we replace oil with fuels like natural gas and biofuels, we can also reduce our dependence by making cars and trucks that use less oil in the first place," the President said. "Going forward, we will continue working with automakers, autoworkers and states to ensure that the high-quality, fuel-efficient cars and trucks of tomorrow are built right here in America," he said.
"This summer, we will propose the first-ever fuel efficiency standard for heavy-duty trucks, aand this fall, we will announce the next round of fuel standards for cars that builds on what we have done." The President said his administration has made historic investments in high-speed rail and mass transit, "because part of making our transportation sector cleaner and more efficient involves offering Americans - urban, suburban and rural - the choice to be mobile without having to get in a car and pay for gas." There are few breakthroughs as promising for increasing fuel efficiency and reducing dependence on oil as electric vehicles, he said.
A modest 2 billion-dollar investment in competitive grants for companies to develop the next generation of batteries for these cars has jump-started a big new American industry, he added. "Soon, America will be home to 40 percent of global manufacturing capacity for these batteries, and that means jobs," Obama said. "But to make sure we stay on the road to this goal, we need to do more by offering more powerful incentives to consumers, and by rewarding the communities that pave the way for adoption of these vehicles."
On the goal of having Americans waste less energy, the President said his administration has proposed "new programs to help Americans upgrade their homes and businesses and plants with new, energy-efficient building materials like lighting, windows, heating and cooling - investments that will save consumers and business owners tens of billions of dollars a year, free up money for investment and hiring, and create jobs for workers and contractors."
The President said his new Clean Energy Standard for America would mean that by 2035, 80 percent of U.S. electricity will come from an array of clean-energy sources, from renewables such as wind and solar to efficient natural gas to clean coal and nuclear power. Turning to nuclear power, Obama said he was determined to ensure that it is safe.
"That is why I have requested a comprehensive safety review by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission to make sure that all of our existing nuclear energy facilities are safe," he said. "We will incorporate those conclusions and lessons from Japan in designing and building the next generation of plants, and my administration is leading global discussions toward a new international framework in which all countries operate their nuclear plants without spreading dangerous nuclear materials and technology," he added.
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