Posts tagged state of the union

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.

Energy is a consumer issue. Why are we drowning it in politics?

SmartPower President Brian F. Keane has a great piece on Triple Pundit today, examining the fault lines in America’s energy policy and what we need to do to fix them. In short: sell energy to American consumers, just like McDonald’s or Coca Cola. Don’t legislate it to them.

An excerpt is below. Check out the whole piece at your leisure. It’s an important read - especially if we’re going to live up to President Obama’s 80% clean energy by 2035 rallying cry.

A little over 30 years ago, then-President Jimmy Carter held a press conference on the roof of the White House. The subject: his new solar panels. It was 1979 and the environmental movement was gaining real steam. “Energy” and “conservation” had become cornerstones of the mainstream political debate. A sustainable future, fueled by clean energy, seemed like a reality.

Unfortunately, all it took to crush this momentum was the 1980 presidential election. Carter lost, and the rest is history. President Ronald Reagan wasted no time getting the panels off the White House roof, setting back the sustainability movement for decades to follow.

Now we’re at a similar crossroads – and we’re in danger of marginalizing clean energy and sustainability issues again. A casual observer might call me crazy. After all, anything tagged “green” and “sustainable” finds itself at the nexus of a trendy social movement, making these terms some of the most pervasive political and cultural buzzwords of our modern times. What’s more, our sitting president preaches his own form of the clean energy gospel, even taking an eerily familiar action: announcing plans for a solar installation at the White House.

I’m glad that sustainability is on President Obama’s mind. But he’s not doing anything different. In fact, he’s using the same playbook as Carter: energy is a symbolic political issue that we wield like a stick – not as a force of reason. Let us not forget that Obama is up for reelection in 2012. Even if he wins, no one’s crystal ball has much to say about 2016 and beyond. Who’s to say that, when the next Republican takes office – whether it’s sooner or later – that he or she won’t follow an alternate course of political symbolism?