‘After all, oil is a finite resource,’ Obama said. ‘We consume more than 20 percent of the world's oil, but have less than two percent of the world's oil reserves. And that's part of the reason oil companies are drilling a mile beneath the surface of the ocean – because we're running out of places to drill on land and in shallow water.’
Noting that other countries – such as China – are already heavily investing in renewable energy, Obama stated that the ‘tragedy unfolding on our coast is the most painful and powerful reminder yet that the time to embrace a clean energy future is now.’
‘The transition away from fossil fuels is going to take some time, but over the last year and a half, we've already taken unprecedented action to jump-start the clean energy industry,’ he continued. ‘As we speak, old factories are reopening to produce wind turbines, people are going back to work installing energy-efficient windows, and small businesses are making solar panels.’
Obama added that last year, the House of Representatives passed an energy and climate bill that ‘finally makes clean energy the profitable kind of energy for America's businesses.’ He stressed his commitment to working with both political parties to reach solutions that will move the nation toward greater use of renewable energy.
‘The president set the right tone in his speech tonight, and now it is up to Congress to enact policies that will add millions of American jobs and utilize our own domestic sources of clean, renewable and efficient energy,’ she said. ‘This is the best future path for our children. Let's unleash America's entrepreneurial spirit."
SOURCES: White House, American Wind Energy Association
