President Touts His Alternative Fuels Plan
Feb 4, 2010 – John M. Broder reports in The New York Times that President Obama moved on Wednesday to bolster the nation’s production of corn-based ethanol and other alternative liquid fuels and ordered the rapid development of technology to capture carbon dioxide emissions from the burning of coal.
The president is trying to expand the portfolio of American energy sources to reduce emissions of greenhouse gases, a factor in global warming, and spur advances in alternative technologies. Last week he expressed support in his State of the Union address for increased generation of nuclear power and offshore drilling for oil and gas.
Mr. Obama’s motives are environmental, economic and political. He is trying to address climate change by replacing dirty fuels with cleaner sources, jump-start an American clean-energy industry, reduce dependence on foreign oil and attract Republican votes for legislation to do all three.
Efforts to pass a broad energy and climate bill remain mired in the Senate, with some senators challenging the notion that the earth is warming. “Now, there’s no reason that we shouldn’t be able to work together in a bipartisan way to get this done,” Mr. Obama said after opening a meeting with several cabinet officers and a bipartisan group of about a dozen governors to discuss his energy agenda.
“I know that there is some concern about how energy fits together with climate change,” he said. “I happen to believe that climate change is one of the reasons why we’ve got to pursue a clean energy agenda, but it’s not the only reason.” “So even if you don’t believe in the severity of climate change, as I do, you still should want to pursue this agenda. It’s good for our national security and reducing our dependence on foreign oil. It’s good for our economy because it will produce jobs.”
Read the full story in The New York Times.
