President Obama focused on a variety of renewable energy and energy efficiency issues in his State of the Union Address on January 28, highlighting progress toward a "shift to a cleaner energy economy" and spotlighting solar energy and fuel efficiency.
"The shift to a cleaner energy economy won't happen overnight, and it will require tough choices along the way," Obama said. "But the debate is settled. Climate change is a fact. And when our children's children look us in the eye and ask if we did all we could to leave them a safer, more stable world, with new sources of energy, I want us to be able to say yes, we did."
In terms of renewable energy, the president said that "we're becoming a global leader in solar, too. Every 4 minutes, another American home or business goes solar; every panel pounded into place by a worker whose job can't be outsourced." The president noted that even as the U.S. has increased its energy production, the nation has "partnered with businesses, builders, and local communities to reduce the energy we consume. When we rescued our automakers, for example, we worked with them to set higher fuel efficiency requirements for our cars. In the coming months, I'll build on that success by setting new requirements for our trucks, so we can keep driving down oil imports and what we pay at the pump."
Among the other energy-related highlights: The president suggested new incentives for medium- and heavy-duty trucks to run on natural gas or other alternative fuels including biofuels, and the infrastructure needed to run them. The president announced a new tax credit to spur investment in the necessary infrastructure to support deployment of advanced vehicles. His suggestion would be fuel neutral, allowing the private sector to determine if biofuels, electrification, natural gas, hydrogen, or other alternative fuels would be the best fit in different communities. In addition, the president suggested to extend the cellulosic biofuel producer credit that expired on December 31, 2013.
Also, as part of the president's Climate Action Plan, he has directed his administration to work with states to develop clean energy and energy efficiency policies. Under the same plan, the Energy Department has suggested 5 energy conservation requirements and finalized one standard for appliances and equipment. And the president directed his administration to negotiate an arrangement that would eliminate tariffs on environmental goods, including clean and renewable energy technologies.
To further the transition to a cleaner energy economy, the president has directed the Department of the Interior to continue to make progress towards his goal of permitting 20,000 megawatts of renewable energy plans on public lands by 2020. If fully built, this would be enough capacity to power in excess of six million homes. See the State of the Union Address, a White House State of the Union video, and a White House State of the Union fact sheet.
