Obama, the Oil Man

President Obama, as he delivered remarks on energy security at Joint Base Andrews Naval Air Facility in Maryland.

Image: Kevin Dietsch/Landov

“All of the above” is a phrase Republicans use to sum up their energy policy. That phrase now more accurately describes President Barack Obama’s approach. Republicans give lip service to renewable energy and they love nuclear power, but they lust for oil. “Drill, baby, drill,” was the most memorable chant at the 2008 Republican National Convention.

Obama, on the other hand, really does believe in an “all of the above” strategy toward meeting the nation’s energy needs. Today he disappointed environmentalists by opening more offshore areas to oil and gas production, including the eastern Gulf of Mexico. Other large stretches of the Atlantic and Arctic Oceans also would be opened to oil and gas exploration. “Given our energy needs, in order to sustain economic growth, produce jobs, and keep our businesses competitive, we’re going to need to harness traditional sources of fuel even as we ramp up production of new sources of renewable, homegrown energy,” Obama said.

Those words pleased the business community, which has been pushing for more domestic oil and natural-gas production. “This decision is an important first step towards greater energy security for our nation,” said Michael Morris, president and CEO of American Electric Power and chair of the Business Roundtable’s Sustainable Growth Initiative. “Oil and natural gas will continue to play a critical role in meeting our nation’s energy needs as we move towards a more sustainable future,” Morris said.

Even a fierce critic of the president, House Minority Whip Eric Cantor, had some nice things to say about him today, thanks to Obama’s plans to move forward with oil and gas leases off the coast of Virginia. “I am encouraged that the administration has endorsed offshore energy exploration off our coast, which will not only help put Virginians back to work, but bring needed revenue to our state,” Cantor said.

The decision to support oil exploration in the eastern Gulf of Mexico upset some Floridians, but Senator Bill Nelson seemed satisfied with the administration’s plan to keep oil wells at least 125 miles away from the state’s coast. Nelson said he told administration officials that “if they drilled too close to Florida’s beaches, they’d be risking the state’s economy and environment. I believe this plan shows they heeded that concern.” Plus, Congress would have to lift its moratorium on oil production in the eastern Gulf before any drilling could occur there.

Some environmentalists, however, think expanded offshore oil production is a step backward, just like Obama’s efforts to encourage construction of new nuclear power plants. “Opening our coastlines for additional offshore drilling will continue the failed energy policies of the past and do nothing to create the new clean-energy jobs of the future,” said Gene Karpinski, president of the League of Conservation Voters. The administration’s overall energy policy, however, is the most serious effort ever undertaken to wean the U.S. off of fossil fuels.

The economic-stimulus bill, for example, “made the largest investment in clean energy in our nation’s history,” Obama said. Just today, the Department of Energy announced it would use $18 million in stimulus money to build an advanced biofuels process development facility at its Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. Tomorrow, the administration will announce higher fuel economy standards for cars and trucks.

The most potent symbol of the federal government’s commitment to clean energy, however, sat behind the president as he made today’s speech. It was a Navy fighter jet, called the Green Hornet, that’s getting ready for its maiden flight. It will be the first airplane to ever break the sound barrier with a fuel mix that’s half biomass, Obama said. In 10 years, the Navy wants alternative energy sources to make up 50 percent of its fuel in all of its planes, ships, and vehicles. “The Pentagon isn’t seeking these alternative fuels just to protect our environment; they are pursuing these homegrown energy sources to protect our national security,” Obama said.