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THE
WHITE HOUSE
Office
of the Press Secretary
_____________________________________________________________________________
EMBARGOED
UNTIL DELIVERY
March
30, 2011
Remarks
of President Barack Obama—As Prepared for Delivery
A
Secure Energy Future
Georgetown
University
March
30, 2011
As
Prepared for Delivery—
We
meet here at a tumultuous time for the world. In a
matter of months, we’ve seen regimes toppled and
democracy take root across North Africa and the Middle
East. We’ve witnessed a terrible earthquake,
catastrophic tsunami and nuclear emergency batter a
strong ally and the world’s third largest economy.
And we’ve led an international effort in Libya to
prevent a massacre and maintain stability throughout the
broader region.
As
Americans, we are heartbroken by the lives that have
been lost as a result of these events. We are moved by
the thirst for freedom in many nations, as well as the
strength and perseverance of the Japanese people. And of
course, it’s natural to feel anxious about what all
this means for us.
One
area of particular concern has been the cost and
security of our energy. In an economy that relies
on oil, rising prices at the pump affect everybody –
workers and farmers; truck drivers and restaurant
owners. Businesses see it hurt 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.
But
here’s the thing – we’ve been down this road
before. Remember, it was just three years ago that
gas prices topped $4 a gallon. Working folks
haven’t forgotten that. It hit a lot of people
pretty hard. But it was also the height of
political season, so you had a lot of slogans and
gimmicks and outraged politicians waving
three-point-plans for two-dollar gas – when none of it
would really do anything to solve the problem.
Imagine that in Washington.
The
truth is, of course, was that all these gimmicks
didn’t make a bit of difference. When gas prices
finally fell, it was mostly because the global recession
led to less demand for oil. Now that the economy
is recovering, demand is back up. Add the turmoil
in the Middle East, and it’s not surprising oil prices
are higher. And every time the price of a barrel
of oil on the world market rises by $10, a gallon of gas
goes up by about 25 cents.
The
point is, the ups and downs in gas prices are usually
temporary. When you look at the long-term trends,
though, there will be more ups than downs.
That’s because countries like India and China are
growing at a rapid clip. And as two billion more
people start consuming more goods, and driving more
cars, and using more energy, it’s certain that demand
will go up a lot faster than supply.
So
here’s the bottom line – there are no quick fixes.
And we will keep on being a victim to shifts in the oil
market until we get serious about a long-term policy for
secure, affordable energy.
We’ve
known about the dangers of our oil dependence for
decades. Presidents and politicians of every
stripe have promised energy independence, but that
promise has so far gone unmet. I’ve pledged to
reduce America’s dependence on oil too, and I’m
proud of the historic progress we’ve made over the
last two years towards that goal. But we’ve also
run into the same political gridlock and inertia
that’s held us back for decades.
That
has to change.
We
cannot keep going from shock to trance on the issue of
energy security, rushing to propose action when gas
prices rise, then hitting the snooze button when they
fall again. The United States of America cannot
afford to bet our long-term prosperity and security on a
resource that will eventually run out. Not
anymore. Not when the cost to our economy, our
country, and our planet is so high. Not when your
generation needs us to get this right.
It is
time to do what we can to secure our energy future.
So
today, I’m setting a new goal: one that is reasonable,
achievable, and necessary. When I was elected to
this office, America imported 11 million barrels of oil
a day. By a little more than a decade from now, we
will have cut that by one-third.
I set
this goal knowing that imported oil will remain an
important part of our energy portfolio for quite some
time. And when it comes to the oil we import from
other nations, we can partner with neighbors like
Canada, Mexico, and Brazil, which recently discovered
significant new oil reserves, and with whom we can share
American technology and know-how.
But
our best opportunities to enhance our energy security
can be found in our own backyard. And we boast one
critical, renewable resource the rest of the world
cannot match: American ingenuity.
To
make ourselves more secure – to control our energy
future – we will need to harness that ingenuity.
It is a task that won’t be finished by the end of my
presidency, or even the next. But if we continue
the work that we have already begun over the last two
years, we won’t just spark new jobs, industries and
innovations; we will leave your generation and future
generations a country that is safer, healthier, and more
prosperous.
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.
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.
This
begins by continuing to increase America’s oil supply.
Last year, American 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.
To
keep reducing that reliance on imports, my
Administration is encouraging offshore oil exploration
and production – as long as it’s safe and
responsible. I don’t think anyone’s forgotten that
we’re not even a year removed from the largest oil
spill in our history. I know the people of the
Gulf Coast haven’t. What we learned from that
disaster helped us put in place smarter standards of
safety and responsibility – for example, if you’re
going to drill in deepwater, you’ve got to prove that
you can actually contain an underwater spill.
That’s just common sense.
Today,
we’re working to expedite new drilling permits for
companies that meet these standards. Since they
were put in place, we’ve approved 39 new shallow water
permits; and we’ve approved an additional 7 deepwater
permits in recent weeks. When it comes to drilling
onshore, 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’ve “shut down” oil production might make for a
useful political sound bite – but it doesn’t track
with reality.
In
fact, we are pushing the oil industry to take advantage
of the opportunities they already have. Right now,
the industry holds tens of millions of acres of leases
where it’s not producing a drop – sitting on
supplies of American energy just waiting to be tapped.
That’s why part of our plan is to provide new and
better incentives that promote rapid, responsible
development of these resources. We’re 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
let’s be honest – it’s not the long-term solution
to our energy challenge. America holds only about
two 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 wouldn’t be enough to
meet our long-term needs.
All
of this means one thing: the only way for
America’s energy supply to be truly secure is by
permanently reducing our dependence on oil. We
have to find ways to boost our efficiency so that we use
less oil. 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.
In
terms of new sources of energy, we have a few different
options. The first is natural gas. As I
mentioned earlier, recent innovations have given us the
opportunity to tap large reserves – perhaps a
century’s worth – in the shale under our feet.
Now, we have to make sure we’re doing it safely,
without polluting our water supply. And that’s
why I’m asking my Energy Secretary, Steven Chu, to
work with other agencies, the natural gas industry,
states, and environmental experts to improve the safety
of this process. I don’t know if you’ve heard,
but he’s got a Nobel Prize for physics, after all.
He likes to tinker on this stuff in his garage on the
weekend.
But
the potential here is enormous. It’s actually an
area of broad bipartisan agreement. Last year,
more than 150 Members of Congress from both sides of the
aisle proposed legislation providing incentives to use
clean-burning natural gas in our vehicles instead of
oil. They were even joined by T. Boone Pickens, a
businessman who made his fortune on oil. So I ask
them to keep at it and pass a bill that helps us achieve
this goal.
Another
substitute for oil that holds tremendous promise is
renewable biofuels – not just ethanol, but biofuels
made from things like switchgrass, wood chips, and
biomass.
If
anyone doubts the potential of these fuels, consider
Brazil. Already, more than half – half – of
Brazil’s vehicles can run on biofuels. And just
last week, our Air Force used an advanced biofuel blend
to fly an F-22 Raptor faster than the speed of sound.
In fact, the Air Force is aiming to get half of its
domestic jet fuel from alternative sources by 2016.
And I’m directing the Navy and the Departments of
Energy and Agriculture to work with the private sector
to create advanced biofuels that can power not just
fighter jets, but trucks and commercial airliners.
So
there’s no reason we shouldn’t be using these
renewable fuels throughout America. That’s why
we’re investing in things like fueling stations and
research into the next generation of biofuels.
Over the next two years, we’ll help entrepreneurs
break ground on four next-generation biorefineries –
each with a capacity of more than 20 million gallons per
year. And going forward, we should look for ways to
reform biofuels incentives to make sure they meet
today’s challenges and save taxpayers money.
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. After all,
70 percent of our petroleum consumption goes to
transportation. And so does the second biggest
chunk of most families’ budgets. That’s why
one of the best ways to make our economy less dependent
on oil and save folks more money is simply to make our
transportation more efficient.
Last
year, we established a groundbreaking national fuel
efficiency standard for cars and trucks. Our cars
will get better gas mileage, saving 1.8 billion barrels
of oil over the life of the program. Our consumers
will save money from fewer trips to the pump – $3,000
on average over time. And our automakers will
build more innovative products. Right now, there
are even cars rolling off assembly lines in Detroit with
combustion engines that can get more than 50 miles per
gallon.
Going
forward, we’ll 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. This summer, we’ll
propose the first-ever fuel efficiency standard for
heavy-duty trucks. And this fall, we’ll announce
the next round of fuel standards for cars that builds on
what we’ve done.
To
achieve our oil goal, the federal government will lead
by example. The fleet of cars and trucks we use in
the federal government is one of the largest in the
country. That’s why we’ve already doubled the
number of alternative vehicles in the federal fleet, and
that’s why, today, I am directing agencies to purchase
100% alternative fuel, hybrid, or electric vehicles by
2015. And going forward, we’ll partner with
private companies that want to upgrade their large
fleets.
We’ve
also 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.
Still,
there are few breakthroughs as promising for increasing
fuel efficiency and reducing our dependence on oil as
electric vehicles. Soon after I took office, I set
a goal to have one million electric vehicles on our
roads by 2015. We’ve created incentives for
American companies to develop these vehicles, and for
Americans who want to buy them. New manufacturing
plants are opening over the next few years. And a
modest, $2 billion investment in competitive grants for
companies to develop the next generation of batteries
for these cars has jumpstarted a big new American
industry. Soon, America will be home to 40 percent
of global manufacturing capacity for these batteries.
And that means jobs. 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.
Now,
the thing about electric cars is that, well, they run on
electricity. And even if we reduce our oil
dependency, a smart, comprehensive energy policy
requires that we change the way we generate electricity
in America – so that it’s cleaner, safer, and
healthier. And by the way – we also know that
ushering in a clean energy economy has the potential to
create an untold number of new jobs and new businesses
– jobs that we want right here in America.
Part
of this change comes from wasting less energy.
Today, our homes and businesses consume 40 percent of
the energy we use, costing us billions in energy bills.
Manufacturers that require large amounts of energy to
make their products are challenged by rising energy
costs. That’s why we’ve 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.
And
just like the fuels we use, we also have to find
cleaner, renewable sources of electricity. Today,
about two-fifths of our electricity comes from clean
energy sources. But I know that we can do better
than that. In fact, I think that with the right
incentives in place, we can double it. That’s
why, in my State of the Union Address, I called for a
new Clean Energy Standard for America: by 2035, 80
percent of our electricity will come from an array of
clean energy sources, from renewables like wind and
solar to efficient natural gas to clean coal and nuclear
power.
Now,
in light of ongoing events in Japan, I want to say
another word about nuclear power. America gets
one-fifth of our electricity from nuclear energy.
It has important potential for increasing our
electricity without adding carbon dioxide to the
atmosphere. But I’m determined to ensure that
it’s safe. That’s why I’ve requested a
comprehensive safety review by the Nuclear Regulatory
Commission to make sure that all of our existing nuclear
energy facilities are safe. We’ll incorporate
those conclusions and lessons from Japan in designing
and building the next generation of plants. And my
Administration is leading global discussions towards a
new international framework in which all countries
operate their nuclear plants without spreading dangerous
nuclear materials and technology.
A
Clean Energy Standard will broaden the scope of clean
energy investment by giving cutting-edge companies the
certainty they need to invest in America. In the
1980s, America was home to more than 80 percent of the
world’s wind capacity, and 90 percent of its solar
capacity. We owned the clean energy economy.
But today, China has the most wind capacity.
Germany has the most solar. Both invest more than
we do in clean energy. Other countries are
exporting technology we pioneered and chasing the jobs
that come with it because they know that the countries
that lead the 21st century clean energy
economy will be the countries that lead the 21st
century global economy.
I
want America to be that nation. I want America to
win the future.
A
Clean Energy Standard will help drive private
investment. But government funding will be
critical too. Over the past two years, the
historic investments we’ve made in clean and renewable
energy research and technology have helped private
sector companies grow and hire hundreds of thousands of
new workers. I’ve visited gleaming new solar
arrays among the largest in the world, tested an
electric vehicle fresh off the assembly line, and toured
once-shuttered factories where they’re building
advanced wind blades as long as a 747 and the towers to
support them. I’ve seen the scientists searching
for that next big energy breakthrough. And none of
this would have happened without government support.
Now,
in light of our tight fiscal situation, it’s fair to
ask how we’ll pay for all of it. As we debate
our national priorities and our budget in Congress, we
have to make tough choices. We’ll have to cut what we
don’t need to invest in what we do need.
Unfortunately, some want to cut these critical
investments in clean energy. They want to cut our
research and development into new technologies.
They’re even shortchanging the resources necessary to
promptly issue new permits for offshore drilling.
These cuts would eliminate thousands of private sector
jobs, terminate scientists and engineers, and end
fellowships for researchers, graduate students and other
talent we desperately need for the 21st century.
See,
we are already paying a price for our inaction.
Every time we fill up at the pump; every time we lose a
job or a business to countries that invest more than we
do in clean energy; when it comes to our air, our water,
and the climate change that threatens the planet
you’ll inherit – we are already paying that price.
These are the costs we’re already bearing. And
if we do nothing, that price will only go up.
At a
moment like this, sacrificing these investments would
weaken our energy security and make us more dependent on
oil, not less. That’s not a game plan to win the
future. That’s a vision to keep us mired in the
past. And I will not accept that outcome for the
United States of America.
I
want to close by speaking directly to the people who
will be writing America’s next great chapter – the
students gathered here today.
The
issue of energy independence is one that America has
been talking about since before your parents were your
age. On top of that, you go to school in a town
that, for a long time, has suffered from a chronic
unwillingness to come together and make tough choices.
Because of all this, you’d be forgiven for thinking
that maybe there isn’t much we can do to rise to our
challenges.
But
everything I have seen and experienced with your
generation convinces me otherwise. I believe it is
precisely because you have come of age in a time of
rapid and sometimes unsettling change – born into a
world with fewer walls, educated in an era of
information, tempered by war and economic turmoil –
that you believe, as deeply as any of our generations,
that America can change for the better.
We
need that. We need you to dream big. We need
you to summon that same spirit of unbridled optimism,
that bold willingness to tackle tough challenges and see
those challenges through that led previous generations
to rise to greatness – to save democracy, to touch the
moon, to connect the world with our own science and
imagination.
That
is what America is capable of. And it is that very
history that teaches us that all of our challenges –
all of them – are within our power to solve.
I
don’t want to leave this challenge for future
presidents. I don’t want to leave it for my
children. And I do not want to leave it for yours.
Solving it will take time and effort. It will
require our brightest scientists, our most creative
companies, and, most importantly, all of us –
Democrats, Republicans, and everyone in between – to
do our part. But with confidence – in America,
in ourselves, and in one another – I know it is a
challenge we will solve.
Thank
you. God Bless You, and God Bless the United
States of America.
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