The Obama Administration’s Blueprint for a Secure Energy Future

[ProSense]

The Obama Administration’s Blueprint for a Secure Energy Future

Posted by Heather Zichal

“Today, my Administration is releasing a Blueprint for A Secure Energy Future that outlines the comprehensive national energy policy we’ve pursued since the day I took office. And here at Georgetown, I’d like to talk in broad strokes about how we will secure that future."
-- President Obama, March 30, 2011

Rising prices at the pump affect everybody – workers and farmers; truck drivers and restaurant owners. Businesses see it impact their bottom line. Families feel the pinch when they fill up their tank. For Americans already struggling to get by, it makes life that much harder. Demand for oil in countries like China and India is only growing, and the price of oil will continue to rise with it. 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.

Every president since Richard Nixon has called for America’s independence from oil, but Washington gridlock has prevented action again and again. If we want to create a more secure energy future, and protect consumers at the pump, that has to change. When President Obama took office, America imported 11 million barrels of oil a day. Today, he pledged that by a little more than a decade from now, we will have cut that by one-third, and put forward a plan to secure America’s energy future by producing more oil at home and reducing our dependence on oil by leveraging cleaner, alternative fuels and greater efficiency.

We’ve already made progress toward this goal – last year, America produced more oil than we had in the last seven years. And we’re taking steps to encourage more offshore oil exploration and production – as long as it’s safe and responsible. And, because we know we can’t just drill our way out of our energy challenge, we’re reducing our dependence on oil by increasing our production of natural gas and biofuels, and increasing our fuel efficiency. Last year, we announced ground-breaking fuel efficiency standards for cars and trucks that will save consumers thousands of dollars and conserve 1.8 billion barrels of oil.

And beyond our efforts to reduce our dependence on oil, we must focus on expanding cleaner sources of electricity, including renewables like wind and solar, as well as clean coal, natural gas, and nuclear power – keeping America on the cutting edge of clean energy technology so that we can build a 21st century clean energy economy and win the future.

To help us reach these goals, the Obama Administration is releasing a Blueprint for a Secure Energy Future (pdf) – which outlines the comprehensive national energy policy that this Administration has pursued since day one, and the which we will build upon to secure our energy future. The Blueprint is aimed to:

• Develop and secure America’s energy supplies: We need to deploy American assets, innovation, and technology so that we can safely and responsibly develop more energy here at home and be a leader in the global energy economy. To get there, we need to:
  
  
  • Expand Safe and Responsible Domestic Oil and Gas Development and Production
    
    
  • Lead the World Toward Safer and More Secure Energy Supplies
  
  
• Provide consumers with choices to reduce costs and save energy: Volatile gasoline prices reinforce the need for innovation that will make it easier and more affordable for consumers to buy more advanced and fuel-efficient vehicles, use alternative means of transportation, weatherize their homes and workplaces, and in doing so, save money and protect the environment. These measures help families’ pocketbooks, reduce our dependence on finite energy sources and help create good jobs here in the United States. So, we’re implementing policies that:
  
  
  • Reduce Consumers Costs at the Pump with More Efficient Cars and Trucks
    
    
  • Cut Energy Bills with More Efficient Homes and Buildings
  
  
• Innovate our way to a clean energy future: Leading the world in clean energy is critical to strengthening the American economy and winning the future. We can get there by creating markets for innovative clean technologies that are ready to deploy, and by funding cutting-edge research to produce the next generation of technologies. And as new, better, and more efficient technologies hit the market, the Federal government needs to put words into action and lead by example. That’s why we need to:
  
  
  • Harness America’s Clean Energy Potential so that 80 percent of electricity will come from clean energy sources by 2035
    
    
  • Win the future through Clean Energy Research and Development
    
    
  • Lead by Example so that the Federal Government models best practices and clean energy technologies

Read the full Blueprint (pdf).

[northoftheborder]

1. I briefly scanned this 44 page document.....

Has lots of good sounding propositions; but actually trying to implement these things by getting Congress to fund and make laws to encourage and regulate to achieve goals is another thing; how does telling Dems in Congress that they MUST accept some of the Repubs cuts to programs and enforcement achieve the stated goals??????????

[happyslug]

2. Every time I see some like this and remember the Economist who said, we have have done since 1973...

Every time I see some like this and remember the Economist who said, we have have done since 1973 (i.e. Corporate fleet average, increase deductions for energy exploration etc) could have been done, better and cheaper by raising Gasoline taxes 25 cents. Yes, the US has done more Smoke and mirrors then anything real when it comes to solving the oil problem.

I have done a quick review, while it mentions China, Indian and Mexico have increased oil prices so to minimize use of oil in each of those countries, no mention of a similar increase of oil prices in the US (To be honest, Mexico raised oil to the world price, cutting back its internal subsidy of oil, as did India and China, even through India and China import oil, unlike Mexico which is a net oil exporter).

Obama, mentions high speed trains, electric cars, natural gas cars (and Natural Gas to replace much of the oil furnaces in the US) but nothing to pay for such improvements (i.e. no increase in oil taxes so that we can have the revenue to pay for high speed Trains, Electric Cars infrastructure and the laying of Natural Gas pipelines to rural American so Rural America can convert from oil to natural gas as a heating source).

Mostly Smoke and Mirrors, for Smoke and Mirrors do NOT cost much AND does not get any large section of the Population against the plan (Many people hurt by the increase in Gasoline taxes will hate whoever passes such a tax, even if they get the benefit of Natural Gas to replace oil for home heating oil, even of Natural gas is used as a motor fuel, or electric cars can be used all day long instead of two trips then being tied up for 2-6 hours while they re-charge).

[vroomvroom]

3. Seeing as how Democrats cave on simple issues this stands little chance of getting anywhere

I just think Obama is sayign this to shore up progressive support for re-election even if he has no interest in fighting for it.

[The_Casual_Observer]

4. They used to call this "lip service"

Now it's not so polite.

This must be the part where he says, "Ok we can invade Libya, but I get to make a speech about how we need to stop using oil"

[ProudDad]

5. My response to the White House bullshit email I got "Gas Prices"

(To Obama in response to email entitle "Gas Prices" that I got today)

I know this email is just going to go down the memory hole but...

Nuclear, coal and "natural gas" are NOT RENEWABLE ENERGY SOURCES!!!

Nor are the "CLEAN"!

Get it through your thick heads, powering down--drastically reduced energy use--immediate utilization of the ONLY really renewable energy sources (wind, solar, some biomass), relocalization and the empowerment of women with birth control of all kinds on demand (to reduce the surplus population naturally) are the ONLY ways out of the cul-de-sac within which humans have driven themselves.

You're making the problem worse with your big lies and obdurate refusal to face the facts of energy resource depletion, climate change and overpopulation.

But, I completely understand. Keeping up the pretense that you can drill your way out of this predicament continues to make big money for your corporate friends and results in the major political contributions you'll need to get re-selected...

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The fucking republicans of 2008 had this in their platform (from Obama's speech):

"In his speech yesterday, President Obama outlined his plan to secure our energy future by developing and securing America's energy resources, bringing energy costs down for consumers, and innovating our way to a clean energy future.

* Increase domestic energy production. Last year, American oil production reached its highest level since 2003. And, because we can't just drill our way out of this crisis, we're reducing our dependence on oil by increasing fuel efficiency and increasing our production of natural gas and biofuels.

* Reduce demand for oil. Transportation is responsible for 70 percent of our petroleum consumption, so one of the quickest and easiest ways to reduce our dependence on foreign oil is to make transportation more efficient. That's why, in April of last year, the Obama Administration established a groundbreaking national fuel efficiency standard for cars and trucks that will save us 1.8 billion barrels of oil and save consumers thousands of dollars. We're also making investments in electric vehicles and the advanced batteries that power them to ensure that high-quality, fuel-efficient cars and trucks are built right here in America.

* Increase production of clean energy. In his State of the Union address, President Obama set a goal that by 2035, 80 percent of our electricity should come from clean energy sources including renewables like wind and solar, nuclear energy, efficient natural gas, and clean coal."

---

1.8 barrels of oil per day, month, year? See how weesily they are! FOMA, LIES and BULLSHIT...

Fucking NUCLEAR, gas and coal ARE NOT CLEAN NOR RENEWABLE!!!

How FUCKING STUPID DO THEY THINK WE ARE???? (rhetorical question -- they think we're total idiots.)