With future of oil drilling in question, Obama pivots to alternative energy
By Julie Pace, APWednesday, May 26, 2010
As oil spills, Obama touts alternative energy
FREMONT, Calif. — President Barack Obama said Wednesday that the “heartbreaking” oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico underscores the urgent need for alternative fuel sources to feed the United States’ energy needs.
Notable for a president who has proposed expanding offshore drilling, Obama said that the kind of deepwater drilling used by the rig that exploded five weeks ago is risky and costly. He didn’t say he opposes the method but noted the danger in having to go down a mile to hit seabed and then drill another mile to find oil.
“With the increased risks, the increased costs — it gives you a sense of where we’re going,” he said. “We’re not going to be able to sustain this kind of fossil fuel use. This planet can’t sustain it.”
Facing increased skepticism over the government’s handling of the devastating spill, Obama said his administration won’t rest until the well that’s leaking millions of gallons of oil is shut and all the damage repaired. But Obama warned that it could be months before the leak is fully contained, and said there’s no guarantee that the “top kill” procedure being attempted Wednesday to cap the well would work better than previous efforts.
Obama was scheduled to travel to Louisiana Friday to assess the spill, which has confounded experts in the government and at BP, the oil company that owns the lease. Speaking at a company in northern California that manufactures solar panels, Obama said that moving to an energy strategy more dependent on renewable sources of fuel would create jobs and secure America’s economic future.
The president has long said renewable sources of energy, such as wind and solar, will play a vital role in the nation’s energy future. But he has also moved to expand offshore drilling, recognizing the practical reality that the U.S. dependence on oil will continue for many years, and the political reality that more drilling could help him win Republican support for a broad-ranging energy bill.
The spill has called those plans into question. The White House has said no new drilling will occur until the causes of the accident are thoroughly examined. Interior Secretary Ken Salazar is due to deliver a report to the president Thursday.
Tags: Accidents, Barack Obama, California, Coastlines And Beaches, Energy, Energy And The Environment, Environmental Concerns, Fremont, Government Regulations, Industry Regulation, North America, Oil spill, Personnel, San Francisco, Solyndra, United States, Us-obama, Utilities
