Posts tagged oil

Obama’s Top 5 SOTU Energy Quotes

President Obama’s State of the Union address included several strong statements on America’s energy future. The president didn’t shy away from the opportunity to tout his successes and ask for more. 

“Because of federal investments, renewable energy use has nearly doubled, and thousands of Americans have jobs because of it,” Obama said. 

Here at SmartPower, we support the president’s message that a diversified approach toward a clean economy is both ideal and achievable. Environmentalists may have cringed at Obama’s remarks about oil and natural gas development, but if we are to ever get to the point where we can rely only on cheap, clean and renewable sources, we must acknowledge that it requires a thoughtful transition with a varied approach.

The following is a list of our top 5 energy quotes from last night’s State of the Union address, starting with this “all-of-the-above strategy”:

1. ”With only 2 percent of the world’s oil reserves, oil isn’t enough. This country needs an all-out, all-of-the-above strategy that develops every available source of American energy. A strategy that’s cleaner, cheaper, and full of new jobs.”

This is important. In order to make the smoothest transition possible to a clean economy, we must be aware of prices and jobs. Renewables are already seeing victories in both of these regards — the falling price of solar indicates a promising future for cost-competitiveness and increased development (JOBS). But we must not be distracted by industry blunders like Solyndra. Just as the president said, “some companies fail”:

2. “Some technologies don’t pan out; some companies fail. But I will not walk away from the promise of clean energy. … I will not cede the wind or solar or battery industry to China or Germany because we refuse to make the same commitment here.”

If the United States is to become an industry leader, it has to step up and lead. Right now, we are in the race, but we are feeling the heat from China and Germany — both with strong innovation and manufacturing in clean energy resources. If we are not going to cede the wind, solar or battery industries to either of these countries, then we must learn from them. We must commit ourselves to the promise of clean energy.

3. We’ve subsidized oil companies for a century. That’s long enough. It’s time to end the taxpayer giveaways to an industry that rarely has been more profitable, and double-down on a clean energy industry that never has been more promising. Pass clean energy tax credits. Create these jobs.

This is the commitment to the promise of clean energy that we must make. We must even the playing field and invest as much in the clean energy industry as we do in fossil fuels. As Obama makes clear, it’s not about the politics. It’s about this country’s future as an innovator and leader:

4. The differences in this chamber may be too deep right now to pass a comprehensive plan to fight climate change. But there’s no reason why Congress shouldn’t at least set a clean energy standard that creates a market for innovation. So far, you haven’t acted. Well, tonight, I will. I’m directing my administration to allow the development of clean energy on enough public land to power 3 million homes. And I’m proud to announce that the Department of Defense, working with us, the world’s largest consumer of energy, will make one of the largest commitments to clean energy in history - with the Navy purchasing enough capacity to power a quarter of a million homes a year.

This administration is willing to act. In fact, it already has. The Department of Defense isn’t wasting any time developing a renewable energy strategy that addresses issues of cost and security. Because when it comes down to it, it’s all about costs:

5. The easiest way to save money is to waste less energy.

We’ve saved the best for last. President Obama used this remark to make a point about cutting businesses’ energy costs by making building efficiency upgrades. Yes, it’s true that we can lower businesses’ energy bills by more that $100 billion with simple upgrades, but it’s also true that homeowners have just as much, if not more to save. 

Clean energy and energy efficiency haven’t moved to the forefront of the global energy discussion because they are expensive. It’s just the opposite.

In the not-so-far future, the day will arrive when we have an energy portfolio comprised of renewable, reliable, clean and cheap energy. If we act now, we will see this day sooner than later.

SmartPower’s Daniel Francis talks GOP and energy on Think Talk Radio

SmartPower Program Assistant Daniel Francis was recently approached by Think Talk Radio to represent the liberal perspective in a debate about the role energy policy will play in the 2012 presidential election. 

Think Talk Radio acknowledges its “conservative ideals,” yet still values voices from all sides. Daniel represented the clean energy side, supporting presidential candidates that accept human-caused climate change and advocate for a green economy.  

When asked about the future of offshore drilling, Daniel replied that such measures would simply serve as “a short term fix to a long term problem.” And when asked which GOP hopeful is, in his opinion, most suited to take on the appropriate energy policy, he said,

None of them. But if I had to choose strictly for environmental policy it would be Jon Huntsman. He’s been very vocal about his belief in climate change and I think for that very reason he’s been overlooked by a majority of the Republican electorate.

When asked what we should do in the interim while oil prices continue to rise and green jobs falter, he said,

This is something we should have started on yesterday and the day before that. This isn’t an issue that is going to go away. Oil is a finite resource, as is natural gas. We can’t keep prolonging these decisions for other generations to deal with — we have to deal with them now.

To listen to the program, please visit ThinkTalkRadio.com. You can find the program — “Top 3 GOP” What are their views on energy and oil? — under the Our Shows tab.

The U.S. Navy is Turning Green

The U.S. Department of Defense accounts for 1 percent of the United States’ total energy consumption, and gets more than three-quarters of that energy from oil. As oil prices rise, that means increases in the military’s costs of operation. 

The Navy is working hard to reduce its reliance on fossil fuels. In fact, Navy Secretary Ray Mabus has said he wants at least half of the energy consumed by his department to come from non-fossil sources by 2020. He has also advocated for biofuels for fighter jets, hybrid-electric drives for ships, and renewable-energy systems for ground troops.

The Wall Street Journal highlights one such system that’s currently being used by Marines, who are part of the Navy: roll-up solar panels that charge soldiers’ gear.

By allowing the troops to recharge their radios, GPS devices and other equipment, the green technology freed the Marines of India Company from constant resupply by road and air. And by carrying fewer batteries, they carried more bullets.

The Marine Corps is addressing a paradox confronting military planners: Modern U.S. forces are more lethal than any in history, but they also gobble up more energy. That lengthens vulnerable supply lines and overloads soldiers and Marines in the field.

Other fascinating facts from the story:

• Batteries make up as much as 20 percent of the weight of the 100 pounds of gear a Marine infantryman typically carries.
• A Marine uses four times as much fuel as his counterpart did in the early 1990s.
• 30 percent of all fuel trucked into Afghanistan goes to power generators.

Today in dirty energy

The Fukushima nuclear power plant disaster continues to figure prominently in this week’s news cycles. With radiation readings there 100,000 times above normal, fears of potential exposure in Japan and abroad, and renewed interest in America’s own radioactive waste storage dilemma, the risks and benefits of nuclear power as an energy source are very much on the minds of American energy consumers.

Nuclear might be a hot topic, but we shouldn’t stop talking about fossil fuels, which are causing their own risks and problems in the U.S. Here’s a quick roundup of today’s non-renewable energy news:

Massey mines issued 80 citations for safety violations in February

The AP reports that Massey Energy Co. coal mines received 80 of the total 166 citations issued by the Mine Safety and Health Administration during special inspections in February. Massey owns the Upper Big Branch mine that exploded last April, killing 29 workers.

Feds weigh manslaughter charges for BP execs

Bloomberg reports that federal prosecutors are considering whether to charge some BP managers with manslaughter for decisions that may have led to the deaths of 11 people when the Deepwater Horizon rig exploded last summer, leading to the worst offshore oil spill in U.S. history.

Fracking sites in Arkansas still closed while earthquake risks reviewed

Another kind of earthquake-energy connection: the AP reports that two natural gas exploration companies have agreed to extend shutdowns of two fracking sites while researchers continue to study whether the sites are linked to a recent increase in earthquake activity. (Fracking is shorthand for hydraulic fracturing, a method of drilling for natural gas.)

Dept. of Sustainable Fashion: Livia Firth blogs about her upcycled Oscars dress

“The King’s Speech” star Colin Firth’s wife, Livia, is blogging about the dress and jewelry she wore to last week’s Academy Awards - and trumpeting their sustainability:

By last Sunday I had the (eco) confidence to enter the Kodak Theatre in a dress made by designer Gary Harvey from eleven pre-loved, forgotten and damaged dresses from the era of “The King’s Speech.” The mandatory jewelry (the Oscars being a particularly bling-friendly event) was Fairtrade, fair-mined and ecologically certified - a world first apparently.

Most consumers are in the dark about the fossil fuels and other resources that go into the production of clothing. Synthetic fabrics like nylon and polyester can’t be manufactured without petroleum.

And while one dress might not change the world, consumers have more power than they realize.