Achieving Energy Independence and Protecting the Environment
America's oil dependence and contributions to global climate change
are endangering our national security, our economy, and our environment.
America consumes one-quarter of the world's total oil, but has less
than 3 percent of its known reserves. Currently, we import about
60 percent of our oil, making us dangerously dependent on a precarious
energy source which is vital to our economy and way of life. According
to the Energy Information Administration, U.S. oil consumption is
projected to grow significantly over the next two decades, forcing
us to rely on imports for nearly 70 percent of our oil by 2025, and
increasing our dependence on some of the most unstable regions in
the world. America also contributes about 30 percent of the world's
greenhouse gas emissions but comprises only 5 percent of the world's
population.
These stubborn facts will not change without an aggressive policy
to reshape the future of our energy supply and energy use.
We need a new direction that will free America from dependence
on oil, end giveaways to Big Oil companies making record profits,
and enact tough laws to stop price gouging.
If we end our dependence on foreign oil, we strengthen our national
security.
If we lead the world in inventing new energy technologies, we create
thousands of high-paying American jobs.
If we learn to tap clean sources of energy, we preserve a clean environment
for our families and future generations.
If we remove the burden of high gas prices, American consumers can
spend elsewhere and give our economy the boost it needs.
A safer, more secure energy future is well within our reach. In a
speech at Faneuil Hall in June, I unveiled a comprehensive proposal
to achieve a safer, more secure energy future. Like the Manhattan
and the Apollo projects that have come before, my plan begins with
an aggressive goal: to reduce U.S. oil use by 2.5 million barrels
of oil a day by 2015. It also includes an aggressive timeline to
immediately expand the availability and production of renewable fuels
to run our cars, trucks and SUVs. And finally, it invests heavily
in renewable energy and efficiency. By clearing the pathways to innovation,
investing in our workers and infrastructure, and providing American
consumers with broader, more responsible choices, my energy plan
will provide the tools to help move America forward, toward real
energy security for the 21st Century.
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