If you think President Obama was too vague on energy policy issues last night, take a look (via Andrew Revkin) at Jimmy Carter's address to the nation on energy issues -- a speech that was chock full of specific policy proposals. Thirty-one years later, the only real downside is that virtually none of those proposals were ever adopted. For example:
I am tonight setting a clear goal for the energy policy of the United States. Beginning this moment, this Nation will never use more foreign oil than we did in 1977. Never. From now on, every new addition to our demand for energy will be met from our own production and our own conservation.
That was a nice goal, but in 1977 we imported 8.8 million barrels per day and in 2006 (before the recession and high prices reduced demand) we imported 13.7 million barrels per day.
My point here isn't to trash Jimmy Carter; rather, it's to make the case against trashing President Obama for not getting into the nitty-gritty details of energy policy reform during his speech last night.
The most obvious point is that his speech was primarily focused on the national response to the immediate issue at hand: BP's disastrous oil spill in the Gulf. At least in my view, the fact that he chose to spend a good chunk of the speech (860 of just under 2,700 words) arguing that the spill underscores the need for energy reform speaks to his genuine support for reform.
Moreover, I think he made several very important points on energy policy.
- Obama gave the House credit for passing "a comprehensive energy and climate bill" and said that the House's bill reflected the principles that he campaigned on.
When I was a candidate for this office, I laid out a set of principles that would move our country towards energy independence. Last year, the House of Representatives acted on these principles by passing a strong and comprehensive energy and climate bill –- a bill that finally makes clean energy the profitable kind of energy for America’s businesses.
- Obama said that the time to act is now, and that any legislation must "tackle our addiction to fossil fuels."
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. Now is the moment for this generation to embark on a national mission to unleash America’s innovation and seize control of our own destiny. ...there are some who believe that we can’t afford those costs right now. I say we can’t afford not to change how we produce and use energy -– because the long-term costs to our economy, our national security, and our environment are far greater. So I’m happy to look at other ideas and approaches from either party -– as long they seriously tackle our addiction to fossil fuels.
- Obama argued that energy reform will provide a boost to our economy:
Each of us has a part to play in a new future that will benefit all of us. As we recover from this recession, the transition to clean energy has the potential to grow our economy and create millions of jobs -– but only if we accelerate that transition. Only if we seize the moment. And only if we rally together and act as one nation –- workers and entrepreneurs; scientists and citizens; the public and private sectors.
- Finally, President Obama explained the basic ideas behind peak oil in plain, easy-to-understand English:
So one of the lessons we’ve learned from this spill is that we need better regulations, better safety standards, and better enforcement when it comes to offshore drilling. But a larger lesson is that no matter how much we improve our regulation of the industry, drilling for oil these days entails greater risk. After all, oil is a finite resource. We consume more than 20 percent of the world’s oil, but have less than 2 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.
For decades, we have known the days of cheap and easily accessible oil were numbered. For decades, we’ve talked and talked about the need to end America’s century-long addiction to fossil fuels. And for decades, we have failed to act with the sense of urgency that this challenge requires. Time and again, the path forward has been blocked -- not only by oil industry lobbyists, but also by a lack of political courage and candor.
That is about as clear and concise an explanation I've seen of why dependence on oil is going to be increasingly risky and expensive. True, it didn't cover climate change, but there's more than one reason why oil is a bad idea, and in the context of a speech about an offshore drilling disaster, this was a very important point to make.
It's true, President Obama did not get into the details of procedural issues like whether and when the Senate should vote. But one of the things we learned from the health care debate is that dwelling on procedure turns off the public. And he wasn't as detailed on policy proposals as Jimmy Carter was in 1979. But Jimmy Carter's approach didn't manage to solve our energy problems, no matter how well-intentioned he may have been.
I think the way to look at last night's speech is that it wasn't part of an end-game strategy, it was part of the beginning of a major push on energy issues. Last night, Organizing for America sent out its second e-mail of the week focused on building support for clean energy reform, and President Obama has repeatedly discussed the need for reform since his speech at Carnegie Mellon two weeks ago.
If the White House weren't serious on moving forward with legislation, it's hard to see why they'd be doing these things. So while last night's speech might not have included everything we'd want to see in a final energy reform bill, let's remember that the address really wasn't primarily about energy reform, and it's not the final product. There's plenty of room for debate on the substance of what energy reform should be -- just as there was with health care reform -- but it seems pretty clear that at the very least, the administration is committed to moving forward, and that's a good thing.
Update -- President Obama will meet with Senators next week to discuss passing energy legislation through the senate.