Obama Reaffirms Commitment to Clean Energy

WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama reaffirmed his commitment to clean energy in his annual State of the Union at a time when a new report suggests that the United States will ease off its reliance on imported energy sources.

In his Jan. 24 address, Obama said the country’s experience with shale gas and natural gas indicates that payoffs on public investments don’t always come right away. He said he refused, however, to walk away from the promise of clean energy.

“Some technologies don’t pan out, some companies fail,” he said. “But I will not cede the wind or solar or battery industry to China or Germany because we refuse to make the same commitment here.”

That outlook seemed to be echoed by a report released by the U.S. Energy Information Administration last month, the 2012 Annual Energy Outlook. It reports that increased oil, natural gas and renewable energy production and energy efficiency improvements are expected to reduce the United States’ reliance on imported energy sources.

The analysis presents updated projections for U.S. energy markets through 2035. Crude oil is expected to grow by more than 20 percent over the coming decade. Meanwhile, net petroleum imports are set to make up a smaller share of total liquids consumption, seeing modest economic growth, increased efficiency in production, growing domestic production and continued adoption of nonpetroleum liquids.

Natural gas is expected to exceed consumption early in the next decade, and the use of both renewable fuels and natural gas for power generation is expected to rise, according to the report.

In addition, the nation’s total energy-related carbon dioxide emissions are expected to remain below its 2005 level through 2035.

In his address, Obama also said he plans to sign an executive order to clear red tape that slows down construction projects. His intent is to encourage Congress to use money no longer being spent on war costs to pay down the national debt and pay for the projects.

Eric Regelin, national chairman of the Associated Builders and Contractors, said the vision Obama offered in his address is no different than what he has promoted his past three years in office.

Regelin said it wasn’t clear what the president meant by removing red tape from construction projects, but that any sincere effort to do so would involve eliminating government-mandated project labor agreements and Davis-Bacon wage requirements on taxpayer-funded construction projects.

“The nation’s construction industry continues to struggle with an unemployment rate of 16 percent – nearly twice the national average,” Regelin said. “However, the president’s only solution to fix the economy is to hand out favors to special interests and punish those who work hard and take risks.”