Gobierno del Presidente Obama anuncia estrategia integral de seguridad energética

Medidas expanden producción nacional y promueven eficiencia
 

Washington D.C. --- Como parte de la estrategia integral de energía de su gobierno, el Presidente Barack Obama y el secretario del Interior Ken Salazar anunciaron hoy más detalles de los esfuerzos del gobierno del Presidente Obama para fortalecer nuestra seguridad energética. El Presidente Obama y el secretario Salazar anunciaron que el gobierno expandirá proyectos de desarrollo y exploración petrolera y gas en la Plataforma Continental Exterior (Outer Continental Shelf u OCS) de Estados Unidos, para que nuestra nación sea más independiente en materia de energía y, al mismo tiempo, protejamos la pesca, el turismo y zonas marítimas estadounidenses que no son apropiadas para estos proyectos. El anuncio también incluyó estándares históricos para el consumo de combustible de autos y camiones, esfuerzos clave que se están realizando en el Departamento de Defensa para mejorar la seguridad energética y un esfuerzo para que la flota de vehículos federales sean más ecológicos. Los detalles están a continuación.
 

“Quiero enfatizar que este anuncio es parte de una estrategia más amplia que nos llevará de una economía basada en combustibles fósiles y petróleo extranjero, a una basada en combustible de producción nacional y energía limpia. Y la única manera de que esta transición triunfe es si fortalece nuestra economía en el corto plazo y largo plazo. Sería un error no reconocer esta realidad”, dijo el Presidente Obama.
 
El año pasado, bajo el liderazgo del secretario Salazar, el gobierno trabajó para reevaluar decisiones previas en un esfuerzo por determinar la política relativa a la perforación petrolera y de gas en la OCS, que ayude a reducir nuestra dependencia de petróleo extranjero, genere empleo y tome en cuenta los riesgos y responsabilidades.
 
“Con una expansión responsable de proyectos de desarrollo y exploración de energía convencional en nuestro país, podemos fortalecer nuestra seguridad energética, generar empleo y ayudar a la recuperación de nuestra economía”, dijo Salazar. “Nuestra estrategia considera proyectos de desarrollo en nuevas zonas mar adentro, la exploración de áreas fuera de fronteras nacionales y la protección de toda perforación en zonas que son muy especiales. Al establecer un orden y certidumbre para proyectos de desarrollo y exploración mar adentro, nos aseguramos de que se perforará de la manera correcta y en los lugares correctos. Estamos abriendo un nuevo capítulo para que los proyectos de desarrollo petrolero y gas en nuestro país sean responsables y equilibrados”.
 
El Presidente destacó medidas clave adicionales que promoverán la producción nacional de energía, diversificará el portafolio energético de Estados Unidos y estimulará la innovación en energía limpia.
 
Información de trasfondo sobre los anuncios de hoy:

Más producción nacional– Licitación de la plataforma continental exterior para perforación petrolera y de gas:  La estrategia del gobierno requiere el desarrollo de recursos petroleros y gas en nuevas zonas, como el este del Golfo de México; el incremento de exploración petrolera y de gas en zonas fuera de fronteras nacionales en el Océano Ártico y el Atlántico; la protección contra toda perforación en zonas marítimas especiales, como la Bahía Bristol de Alaska. La estrategia establecerá los lineamientos del actual programa 2007-2012 de licitación petrolera y gas, así como el nuevo programa 2007-2012 que este gobierno propondrá. Para detalles específicos de este plan visite www.doi.gov.
 
Estándares históricos para el consumo de combustible de autos y camiones – Determinaron los estándares para la emisión de gases de invernadero y los de EPA/DOT CAFE:  El 1° de abril, la Agencia de Protección Ambiental (EPA por sus siglas en inglés) y el Departamento de Transporte (DOT por sus siglas en inglés) pondrán en vigor una norma conjunta que determinará los estándares para la emisión de gases de invernadero y para el millaje de vehículos ligeros (Corporate Average Fuel Economy o CAFE) propiedad de empresas en modelos del 2012 al 2016.  En mayo pasado se anunció que la norma es producto de un acuerdo histórico entre el gobierno del Presidente Obama, el estado de California y los fabricantes de automóviles para llevar certidumbre normativa al mercado automotor, y al mismo tiempo, mejorar el consumo de combustible de los autos, reducir las emisiones de gases de invernadero en el sector transporte y asegurar que los consumidores tengan opciones y gastar menos. Se espera que esta medida ahorre 1,800 millones de barriles de petróleo durante la vida del programa.
 
Liderar con el ejemplo – Una flota federal más ecológica:  El año pasado, el Presidente Obama puso en vigor el Decreto Ejecutivo 13514 que solicitaba que las agencias federales sentaran el ejemplo de una economía de energía limpia. La Dirección de Servicios Generales (General Services Administration o GSA) y el Departamento de Energía están haciendo precisamente eso. Como resultado de sus esfuerzos combinados hemos aumentado al doble los vehículos híbridos en la flota federal y para fines de año habremos adquirido los primeros 100 vehículos eléctricos ensamblados en Estados Unidos. Asimismo, las agencias están adquiriendo vehículos híbridos en lugar de autos y camiones convencionales que consumen más combustible; están disminuyendo la cantidad de vehículos en la flota y están requiriendo estaciones de recarga eléctrica en todas las nuevas instalaciones y en las remodelaciones sustanciales.
 
Énfasis estratégico del Departamento de Defensa en seguridad energética:  El Reporte Tetranual de Defensa, dado a conocer recientemente, pone en relieve que la formulación de un enfoque estratégico es una de las principales prioridades del Departamento de Defensa. Esto refleja, sobre todo, consideraciones acerca de la misión. El análisis hecho por el propio Departamento confirma lo que los expertos independientes venían advirtiendo desde hace años: que nuestras fuerzas armadas dependen excesivamente de hidrocarburos, lo cual crea costos y riesgos significativos tanto a nivel táctico como estratégico.  El Departamento de Defensa está procurando activamente poner en vigor programas estratégicos para fortalecer la independencia y seguridad energéticas, y reducir las emisiones nocivas, lo cual incluye el desarrollo y uso de biocombustibles avanzados producidos en el país. Para mayor información acerca de los programas de energía del Departamento de Defensa presione AQUI.

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Remarks by The President on Energy Security at Andrews Air Force Base, 3/31/2010

11:18 A.M. EDT

THE PRESIDENT:  Thank you, everybody.  Thank you so much.  (Applause.)  Please have a seat.  I've got a few introductions that I want to make very quickly before I start my remarks.  First of all, I think that by the end of his tenure we're going to know that Ken Salazar is one of the finest Secretaries of Interior we've ever had.  So please give him a big round of applause.  (Applause.)

Other members of what we call our green team are here:  Steven Chu, our Secretary of Energy; Martha Johnson, the Administrator of the GSA; Nancy Sutley, the CEQ Chair.  We've got Carol Browner, who’s the White House Energy and Climate Change Director.  Please give them a big round of applause.  They put in a lot of work.  (Applause.)

Governor Martin O’Malley is here, governor of Maryland.  (Applause.)  Ray Mabus, Secretary of the Navy, is here.  (Applause.) Admiral Gary Roughead, Chief of Naval Operations, is here, and we appreciate his outstanding service.  Thank you, Gar. (Applause.)

I want to thank Steven Shepro, the base commander here at Andrews, and the leadership that's present from the Air Force, the Marine Corps, and the Coast Guard.

Ken and I were colleagues in the Senate, and I appointed him because I knew that he would be a faithful and pragmatic steward of our natural resources.  And as Secretary, he is changing the way that the Interior Department does business so that we’re responsibly developing traditional sources of energy and renewable sources of energy, from the wind on the high plains to the suns in the desert to the waves off our coasts.  And so I'm very grateful to the work that he’s done in culminating in one of the announcements that we’re making today.

It’s also good to see so many members of our Armed Forces here today.  Andrews is the home of Air Force One, and I appreciate everything that you do for me and my family.  I should point out that you’ve got a 100-percent on-time departure record. (Laughter.)  You don’t charge for luggage -- (laughter) -- so it’s a pretty good deal.  And I want to thank you not only for the support that you provide me, but also for the service that you perform to keep our country safe each and every day.  So I'm very grateful to all of you.

We’re here to talk about America’s energy security, an issue that’s been a priority for my administration since the day I took office.  Already, we’ve made the largest investment in clean energy in our nation’s history.  It’s an investment that’s expected to create or save more than 700,000 jobs across America -- jobs manufacturing advanced batteries for more efficient vehicles; upgrading the power grid so that it’s smarter and it’s stronger; doubling our nation’s capacity to generate renewable electricity from sources like the wind and the sun.

And just a few months after taking office, I also gathered the leaders of the world’s largest automakers, the heads of labor unions, environmental advocates, and public officials from California and across the country to reach a historic agreement to raise fuel economy standards in cars and trucks.  And tomorrow, after decades in which we have done little to increase auto efficiency, those new standards will be finalized, which will reduce our dependence on oil while helping folks spend a little less at the pump.

So my administration is upholding its end of the deal, and we expect all parties to do the same.  And I’d also point out this rule that we’re going to be announcing about increased mileage standards will save 1.8 billion -- billion barrels of oil overall -- 1.8 billion barrels of oil.  And that’s like taking 58 million cars off the road for an entire year.

Today, we’re also going to go one step further.  In order to save energy and taxpayer dollars, my administration -- led by Secretary Chu at Energy, as well as Administrator Johnson at GSA -- is doubling the number of hybrid vehicles in the federal fleet, even as we seek to reduce the number of cars and trucks used by our government overall.  So we’re going to lead by example and practice what we preach:  cutting waste, saving energy, and reducing our reliance on foreign oil.

But we have to do more.  We need to make continued investments in clean coal technologies and advanced biofuels.  A few weeks ago, I announced loan guarantees to break ground on America’s first new nuclear facility in three decades, a project that will create thousands of jobs.  And in the short term, as we transition to cleaner energy sources, we’ve still got to make some tough decisions about opening new offshore areas for oil and gas development in ways that protect communities and protect coastlines.

This is not a decision that I’ve made lightly.  It’s one that Ken and I -- as well as Carol Browner, my energy advisor, and others in my administration -- looked at closely for more than a year.  But the bottom line is this:  Given our energy needs, in order to sustain economic growth and produce jobs, and keep our businesses competitive, we are going to need to harness traditional sources of fuel even as we ramp up production of new sources of renewable, homegrown energy.

So today we’re announcing the expansion of offshore oil and gas exploration, but in ways that balance the need to harness domestic energy resources and the need to protect America’s natural resources.  Under the leadership of Secretary Salazar, we’ll employ new technologies that reduce the impact of oil exploration.  We’ll protect areas that are vital to tourism, the environment, and our national security.  And we’ll be guided not by political ideology, but by scientific evidence.

That's why my administration will consider potential areas for development in the mid and south Atlantic and the Gulf of Mexico, while studying and protecting sensitive areas in the Arctic.  That’s why we’ll continue to support development of leased areas off the North Slope of Alaska, while protecting Alaska’s Bristol Bay.

There will be those who strongly disagree with this decision, including those who say we should not open any new areas to drilling.  But what I want to emphasize is that this announcement is part of a broader strategy that will move us from an economy that runs on fossil fuels and foreign oil to one that relies more on homegrown fuels and clean energy.  And the only way this transition will succeed is if it strengthens our economy in the short term and the long run.  To fail to recognize this reality would be a mistake.

On the other side, there are going to be some who argue that we don’t go nearly far enough; who suggest we should open all our waters to energy exploration without any restriction or regard for the broader environmental and economic impact.  And to those folks I’ve got to say this:  We have less than 2 percent of the world’s oil reserves; we consume more than 20 percent of the world’s oil.  And what that means is that drilling alone can’t come close to meeting our long-term energy needs.  And for the sake of our planet and our energy independence, we need to begin the transition to cleaner fuels now.

So the answer is not drilling everywhere all the time.  But the answer is not, also, for us to ignore the fact that we are going to need vital energy sources to maintain our economic growth and our security.  Ultimately, we need to move beyond the tired debates of the left and the right, between business leaders and environmentalists, between those who would claim drilling is a cure all and those who would claim it has no place.  Because this issue is just too important to allow our progress to languish while we fight the same old battles over and over again.

For decades we’ve talked about how our dependence on foreign oil threatens our economy -– yet our will to act rises and falls with the price of a barrel of oil.  When gas gets expensive at the pump, suddenly everybody is an energy expert.  And when it goes back down, everybody is back to their old habits.

For decades we’ve talked about the threat to future generations posed by our current system of energy –- even as we can see the mounting evidence of climate change from the Arctic Circle to the Gulf Coast.  And this is particularly relevant to all of you who are serving in uniform:  For decades, we’ve talked about the risks to our security created by dependence on foreign oil, but that dependence has actually grown year after year after year after year.

And while our politics has remained entrenched along these worn divides, the ground has shifted beneath our feet.  Around the world, countries are seeking an edge in the global marketplace by investing in new ways of producing and saving energy.  From China to Germany, these nations recognize that the nation that leads the clean energy economy will be the country that leads the global economy.  And meanwhile, here at home, as politicians in Washington debate endlessly about whether to act, our own military has determined that we can no longer afford not to.

Some of the press may be wondering why we are announcing offshore drilling in a hangar at Andrews Air Force Base.  Well, if there’s any doubt about the leadership that our military is showing, you just need to look at this F-18 fighter and the light-armored vehicle behind me.  The Army and Marine Corps have been testing this vehicle on a mixture of biofuels.  And this Navy fighter jet -- appropriately called the Green Hornet -- will be flown for the first time in just a few days, on Earth Day.  If tests go as planned, it will be the first plane ever to fly faster than the speed of sound on a fuel mix that is half biomass.  The Air Force is also testing jet engines using biofuels and had the first successful biofuel-powered test flight just last week.  I don’t want to drum up any kind of rivalry here, but -- (laughter.)

Now, the Pentagon isn’t seeking these alternative fuels just to protect our environment; they’re pursuing these homegrown energy sources to protect our national security.  Our military leaders recognize the security imperative of increasing the use of alternative fuels, decreasing energy use, reducing our reliance on imported oil, making ourselves more energy-efficient. That’s why the Navy, led by Secretary Mabus, who’s here today, has set a goal of using 50-percent alternative fuels in all planes, vehicles, and ships in the next 10 years.  That’s why the Defense Department has invested $2.7 billion this year alone to improve energy efficiency.

So moving towards clean energy is about our security.  It’s also about our economy.  And it’s about the future of our planet. And what I hope is, is the policies that we’ve laid out -- from hybrid fleets to offshore drilling, from nuclear energy to wind energy -- underscores the seriousness with which my administration takes this challenge.  It’s a challenge that requires us to break out of the old ways of thinking, to think and act anew.  And it requires each of us, regardless of whether we’re in the private sector or the public sector, whether we’re in the military or in the civilian side of government, to think about how could we be doing things better, how could we be doing things smarter -- so that we are no longer tethered to the whims of what happens somewhere in the Middle East or with other major oil-producing nations.

So I’m open to proposals from my Democratic friends and my Republican friends.  I think that we can break out of the broken politics of the past when it comes to our energy policy.  I know that we can come together to pass comprehensive energy and climate legislation that’s going to foster new energy -- new industries, create millions of new jobs, protect our planet, and help us become more energy independent.  That’s what we can do.  That is what we must do.  And I’m confident that is what we will do.

So thank you very much.  And thanks, again, to all of you who are serving in our Armed Services.  You are making an enormous contribution, and this is just one example of the leadership that you’re showing.

Thank you very much.  (Applause.)

END
11:33 A.M. EDT

Remarks by the President on Clean Energy Jobs

OPOWER, Arlington, Virginia

11:43 A.M. EST

THE PRESIDENT:  Good morning, everybody.  It is great to be here at OPOWER.  And just looking around, this looks like a fun place to work.  (Laughter.)  The work you do here, as we just heard, is making homes more energy efficient, it's saving people money, it's generating jobs and it's putting America on the path to a clean energy future.  And I understand last year that you doubled your workforce thanks to Bonnie -- (applause) -- you’re hoping to hire another hundred workers this year.  And so this is a model of what we want to be seeing all across the country.  Our goal for the economy is to show similar job growth in the months ahead.

This morning we learned that in February our economy lost an additional 36,000 jobs.  Now, this is actually better than expected, considering the severe storms all along the East Coast are estimated to have had a depressing effect on the numbers.  And it shows that the measures that we’re taking to turn our economy around are having some impact.  But even though it's better than expected, it's more than we should tolerate.

Far too many Americans remain out of work.  Far too many families are still struggling in these difficult economic times.  And that's why I'm not going to rest, and my administration is not going to rest, in our efforts to help people who are looking to find a job; to help business owners who want to expand feel comfortable hiring again.  And we're not going to rest until our economy is working again for the middle class, and for all Americans.

And that's why my immediate priority is not only providing relief to people who are out of work, but also to help the private sector create jobs and put America back to work.  Earlier this week, after breaking through a political logjam that some of you probably saw if you were watching TV, Congress passed and I signed into law a bill that extends unemployment insurance to help people who've been laid off get through these hard times.  It also extended COBRA so that folks who've lost their jobs don't lose their health insurance, and it extended financing for small businesses, and makes it possible for 2,000 furloughed transportation workers to go back to work.

So signing this bill and getting relief out the door swiftly is absolutely essential.  But it's only a temporary step.  The relief I signed into law will last about a month.  And that's why I'm calling [on] Congress to extend this relief through the end of the year.  And because the best form of economic relief is a quality job, I'm also calling on Congress to pass jobs measures that cut taxes, increase lending, incentivize expansion for businesses both large and small.

Now, both the House and the Senate have passed a bill that would give businesses a payroll tax refund for every person hired this year.  And for companies that are considering expanding, this credit could help them decide to bring an extra employee or two this year.  So for companies like OPOWER that are doing pretty well and already expanding, the tax credit may help them decide to hire even more workers more quickly.  So instead of a hundred, maybe we get 110, 115.  We'll see.  (Applause.)

This bill would also encourage small companies to expand by permitting them to write off expenses for new equipment.  And while it's by no means enough, this legislation is an important step on the road to recovery, and I look forward to signing it into law.

Now, even as we fight to help the private sector create more jobs, and even as we fight to bring about a full economic recovery, we know that there have been success stories all across America.  OPOWER is one of those success stories.  This is a company that works with utilities to help folks understand their energy costs and how they can save money on their energy bills.  And for the press, if you weren't able to hear, this board testifies to the number of kilowatt hours that have been saved, the amount of money that's gone back into consumers' pockets, and the amount of carbon that has been taken out of the atmosphere as a consequence of the great work that these people at OPOWER are doing.

Now, part of the reason I suspect you're growing is that you're doing your jobs well.  But I also know that a big part of the reason is that you're seizing the opportunities of the future.  The jobs of tomorrow will be jobs in the clean energy sector, and this company is a great emblem for that.  That's why my administration is taking steps to support a thriving clean energy industry across this country -- an industry that's making solar panels, and building wind turbines, producing cutting-edge batteries for fuel-efficient cars and trucks, and helping consumers get more control over their energy bills.

And that's also why earlier this week I urged Congress to enact a new initiative we're calling Homestar that would offer homeowners rebates for making their homes more energy-efficient -- rebates worth up to $1,500 for individual home upgrades and up to $3,000 for retrofitting their entire home.  So if they're getting this good information from OPOWER and they see that, boy, that drafty window is costing me a couple of hundred bucks a year, they're now going to have an incentive to go to Home Depots or go to Lowes to hire a certified contractor and make the changes that will ultimately pay for themselves, improve our environment, and improve our economy.

I want to thank, by the way, your home state senator, Mark Warner, for his great work on Homestar in the Senate.

Think about the way that the rebates we're talking about could help spur private sector job growth.  It could not only help businesses like OPOWER to help consumers make their homes more energy efficient, it's also going to create business for the local contractors and the companies hired to upgrade homes.  These companies then, in turn, have to purchase supplies and that creates business for retailers.  These retailers would need to restock their shelves, and that creates business for manufacturers.  And almost all the goods that are required to make homes more energy efficient are actually produced right here in the United States of America.  It's very hard to ship an energy-efficient window across an ocean.

So, yes, people who are out of work right now need some immediate relief.  Yes, we need to extend unemployment insurance and COBRA to help Americans weather these tough times.  And, yes, we've got to do everything we can to help the private sector create jobs right now.

But even as we do, we also need to replicate the success of clean energy companies like OPOWER.  We need to invest in the jobs of the future and in the industries of the future, because the country that leads in clean energy and energy efficiency today, I'm absolutely convinced, is going to lead the global economy tomorrow.  I want that country to be the United States of America.  I want companies like OPOWER to be expanding and thriving all across America.  It's good for consumers.  It's good for our economy.  It's good for our environment.

It's wonderfully exciting to be here.  And I think when you look at this group that's gathered here, you can see the future in this company.  So thanks for the great work you guys are doing.  Let's see if we can replicate your success all across the country.

Thank you very much, everybody.  (Applause.)

END
11:52 A.M. EST