Wrestling the energy boogieman has become a perennial rite of passage for U.S. presidents, dating at least as far back as Nixon.
Fittingly, President Obama today was at Georgetown University, where he outlined a broad initiative to cut oil imports, boost domestic production of oil and gas, and increase the use of cellulosic ethanol and natural gas to power vehicles.
With gas prices topping $4 a gallon in some parts of the country, like southern California, and the summer driving season not that far off, the president’s comments couldn’t come a moment too soon.
“In an economy that relies so heavily on oil, rising prices at the pump affect everybody,” the Obama said in what the White House billed as a significant energy address.
“Workers, farmers, truck drivers, restaurant owners. Businesses see rising prices at the pump hurt their bottom line. Families feel pinched when they fill up their tank. … That’s why we need to make ourselves more secure and control our energy future by harnessing all of the resources that we have available and embracing a diverse energy portfolio.”
How does the Administration propose we get there? The White House this morning released a fact sheet on America’s energy security. Here’s a broad, non-exhaustive list of the Prez’s proposed actions:
- Identify underdeveloped domestic resources, such as unused oil and gas leases.
- Promote the use of alternative fuels — like biofuels and natural gas — in the transportation sector.
- Setting new fuel economy standards for cars and trucks
- Phasing in a new federal fleet of vehicles (some 600,000) comprising alternative-fuel vehicles, like hybrids and electric vehicles
Notably, the fact sheet hints again at the possibility of a national clean energy standard (CES), which would be of particular interest to those who like solar power, wind and other sources of clean electricity. We’ve seen a similar national standard discussed before. It’s not clear whether Obama’s CES — which envisions generating 80 percent of the country’s electricity with resources like nuclear power, natural gas, clean coal, solar and wind — will get any traction this legislative session. Here’s to hoping it does.
Developing…
Photo cred: Brian A. Sayrs.
a
