Hereafter are reproduced the parts of the State of the Union Speech hold by U.S. president Obama on 28 January 2014 which are related to energy and climate change issues.
Much done, potential remains, global ambitions.
- "Today in America ... An autoworker fine-tuned some of the best, most fuel-efficient cars in the world and did his part to help America wean itself off foreign oil."
- "here are the results of your efforts: ... more oil produced at home than we buy from the rest of the world, the first time that's happened in nearly twenty years."
- "That's why I believe this can be a brealthough year for America. After five years of great and determined effort, the United States is better-positioned for the 21st century than any other national on Earth. The question for everyone in this chamber ... is whether we are going to help or hinder this progress."
Innovation
- "We also have the chance, right now, to beat other countries in the race for the next wave of high-tech manufacturing jobs. And my administration's launched two hubs for high-tech manufacturing ... we'll launch six more this year."
- "China and Europe aren't standing on the sidelines; and neither -- neither should we. We know that the nation that goes all-in on innovation today will own the global economy tomorrow."
"All the above energy strategy"
Natural gas - "One of the biggest factors in bringing more jobs back is our commitment to American energy. The "all the above" energy strategy I announced a few years ago is working, and today America is closer to energy independence than we have been in decades."
"One of the reasons why is natural gas. If extracted safely, it's the bridge fuel that can power our economy with less of the carbon pollution that causes climate change. Businesses plan to invest almost a hundrer billion dollars in new factories that use natural gas. I'll cut red tape to help states get those factories built and put folks to work, and this Congress can help by putting people to work building fueling stations that shift more cars and trucks from foreign oil to American natural gas."
Meanwhile, my administration will keep working with the industry to sustain production and jobs growth while strengthening protection of our air, our water, our communities.
Renewables - "Now, it's not just oil and natural gas production that's booming; we're becoming a global leader in solar too. [...] Let's continue that progress with a smarter tax policy that stops giving $4 billion a year to fossil fuel industries that don't need it..."
Energy efficiency - "Even as we've increased energy production, we've partnered with businesses, builders and local communities to reduce the energy we consume."
Climate Change
- "...taken together, our energy policy is creating jobs and leading to a cleaner, safer plant. Over the past eight years the United States has reduced our total carbon pollution more than any other national on Earth."
- "But we have to act with more urgency because a changing climate is already harming western communities stryggling with drought and coastal cities deadling with floods. That's why I directed my administration to work with states, utitilies and others to set new standards on the amount of carbon pollution our power plants are allowed to dump into the air."
- "The shift to a cleaner energy economy won't happen overnight, and it will require some tough choices along the way."
- "But the debate is settled. Climate change is a fact."
Source: full transcript on the White House, Office of the Press Secretary.
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