This morning, Washington is digging out from a winter storm that hit yesterday evening, covering the region in 8-12 inches of snow. The storm even affected President Obama’s return from a day trip to Manitowoc, Wisconsin, yesterday. 

Obama was in Wisconsin to discuss the policies he laid out in his State of the Union address on Tuesday night and stress the need for investment in clean energy.  On the production floor of Orion Energy Systems, a local firm that specializes in solar energy and energy-efficient technologies, Obama addressed workers and highlighted an unexpected tie-in to his speech the night before where he challenged the American people to seize a new “Sputnik moment” to spur innovation and development. 

“It was right here, almost 50 years ago — I couldn’t have made this up.  It wasn’t until I was on my way here that I found out that a chunk of metal came crashing down to the Earth right here…It turns out that it was part of a satellite called Sputnik that landed right here, and that set the Space Race into motion.  So I want to say to you today that it is here, more than 50 years later, that the race for the 21st century will be won.”

Obama toured Orion Energy and two other renewable energy factories in Wisconsin before departing ahead of schedule in an attempt to beat the snow storm hitting the East Coast of the United States.  Like many other D.C. commuters attempting to get home last night, however, Obama got stuck in traffic trying to get from Andrews Air Force Base, where the President’s plane lands, to the White House.  A trip that usually takes only 20 minutes took over an hour because the White House and police chose not to close streets for the President’s motorcade, which would have diverted resources from handling the snow emergency.

Read the full text of Obama’s speech on the American economy from Manitowoc.