2012 Presidential Campaign Blog: Obama Campaign: President Obama Outlines His All-of-the-Above Energy Strategy

President Obama Outlines His All-of-the-Above Energy Strategy

Tonight, President Obama outlined in clear terms how his all-of-the-above approach to American energy has helped boost domestic oil and gas production and reduced our dependence on foreign oil to a 20 year low:

“The most important thing we can do is to make sure we control our own energy. So here’s what I’ve done since I’ve been President. We have increased oil production to the highest levels in 16 years. Natural gas production is the highest it’s been in decades. We have seen increases in coal production and coal employment, but what I’ve also said is we can’t just produce traditional sources of energy, we’ve also got to look to the future. That’s why we doubled fuel efficiency standards on cars. That means that in the middle of the next decade, any car you buy, you’re going to end up going twice as far on a gallon of gas. That’s why we’ve doubled clean energy production, like wind and solar and biofuels, and all these things have contributed to us lowering our oil imports to the lowest levels in 16 years. Now, I want to build on that. And that means, yes, we still continue to open up new areas for drilling, we continue to make it a priority for us to go after natural gas. We’ve got potentially 600,000 jobs and 100 years worth of energy right beneath our feet with natural gas, and we can do it in an environmentally sound way, but we’ve also got to continue to figure out how we have efficient energy because ultimately that’s how we’re going to reduce demand, and that’s what’s going to keep gas prices lower.”

PRESIDENT OBAMA’S ALL-OF-THE-ABOVE APPROACH TO ENERGY HAS HELPED BOOST DOMESTIC OIL PRODUCTION AND REDUCE OUR DEPENDENCE ON FOREIGN OIL

PRESIDENT OBAMA HAS MADE MILLIONS OF ACRES OF PUBLIC LANDS AVAILABLE FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF OIL AND GAS RESOURCES BOTH ON AND OFFSHORE

OIL AND GAS PRODUCTION ON FEDERAL LANDS HAS INCREASED UNDER PRESIDENT OBAMA

Oil Production On Federal Lands Has Increased 13 Percent During The First Three Years Of The Obama Administration Combined. Between 2006 and 2008, an average of 585.6 million barrels of oil were produced on federal onshore and offshore lands. Between 2009 and 2011, an average of 661.3 million barrels of oil were produced on federal onshore and offshore lands. [Calculated from Energy Information Administration data, March 2012]

Total Natural Gas Production From Onshore Public Lands Has Increased By Nearly 6 Percent In The First Three Years Of The Obama Administration Combined. Between 2006 and 2008, an average of 2.892 trillion cubic feet of natural gas was produced on onshore federal lands. Between 2009 and 2011, an average of 3.064 trillion cubic feet of natural gas was produced on onshore federal lands. [Calculated from Energy Information Administration data, March 2012]

PRESIDENT OBAMA HAS MADE MILLIONS OF ACRES OF PUBLIC LANDS AVAILABLE FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF OIL AND GAS RESOURCES ONSHORE

The Obama Administration Offered 3 Million Acres For Oil And Gas Leasing In The First Quarter Of Fiscal Year 2012 Alone. According to a Department of Interior report: “Onshore, the Department offered 1.2 million onshore acres for lease during fiscal year 2011, as well as an additional 3 million acres in the first quarter of FY 2012 alone.” [Department of Interior, “Oil and Gas Lease Utilization, Onshore and Offshore, Updated Report to the President,” May 2012]

· The Obama Administration Plans To Hold 32 Onshore Lease Sales In 2012. “[T]he Interior Department will hold 32 additional sales in calendar year 2012, Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar announced today. … The BLM’s 32 oil and natural gas lease sales in calendar year 2012 will offer thousands of parcels in California, Colorado, the Eastern States, Montana, New Mexico, Nevada, Utah, and Wyoming.” [Bureau of Land Management, 1/10/12]

Through 2011, The Obama Administration Has Held Oil And Gas Lease Sales On Public Lands in 23 States. “During the last three years, we have held lease sales on public lands in 23 different states. On public lands, the Department of the Interior (DOI) held 32 onshore oil and gas lease sales, offering 1,755 parcels of land covering nearly 4.4 million acres in 2011. We will hold 32 additional sales in calendar year 2012.” [The White House, FACT SHEET: Obama Administration’s All-of-the-Above Approach to American Energy, 3/21/12]

· In 2011, The Obama Administration Held 32 Onshore Oil And Gas Lease Sales, Offering Nearly 4.4 Million Acres For Development And Selling Nearly Three-Quarters Of The Land Offered. “During calendar year 2011, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) held 32 onshore oil and gas lease sales, offering 1,755 parcels of land covering nearly 4.4 million acres. 1,296 parcels of land were sold – nearly three-quarters of those offered – generating about $256 million in revenue for American taxpayers.” [Bureau of Land Management, 1/10/12]

In 2011, President Obama Directed The Department Of Interior To Hold Annual Lease Sales In Alaska’s National Petroleum Reserve. “But I believe that we should expand oil production in America – even as we increase safety and environmental standards. To do this, I am directing the Department of Interior to conduct annual lease sales in Alaska’s National Petroleum Reserve, while respecting sensitive areas, and to speed up the evaluation of oil and gas resources in the mid and south Atlantic.” [Remarks by the President in a Weekly Address, 5/14/11]

Ø In 2011, The Obama Administration Offered More Than 280 Tracts Of Land In Alaska’s National Petroleum Reserve Covering More Than 3 Million Acres. “The Department of the Interior’s Bureau of Land Management (BLM) announced that today’s oil and gas lease sale in the National Petroleum Reserve in Alaska (NPR-A) generated winning bids totaling $3,637,477 and covering 17 tracts on about 141,739 acres…The BLM offered 283 tracts comprising approximately 3,060,176 acres in this sale. The tracts covered land available for oil and gas leasing within Northeast and Northwest NPR-A planning areas and included 178 tracts (1,817,186 acres) within Northeast NPR-A and 105 tracts (1,242,990 acres) in Northwest NPR-A.” [Department of Interior, 12/7/11]

Ø In 2012, The Department Of Interior Will Hold An Additional Lease Sale In The National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska And Finalize An Interagency Activity Plan To Guide Future Development. “Later this year, DOI will hold an additional lease sale and finalize an integrated activity plan that will guide future sales in the NPR-A, while providing for adequate consideration and protection of the Reserve’s outstanding ecological Resources.” [Blueprint For A Secure Energy Future: One-Year Progress Report, March 2012]

PRESIDENT OBAMA IS MAKING AREAS THAT HOLD MORE THAN 75 PERCENT OF OUR OFFSHORE OIL AND GAS RESOURCES AVAILABLE FOR DEVELOPMENT

The Obama Administration’s Five-Year Offshore Leasing Plan Will Make More Than 75 Percent Of Offshore Oil And Gas Resources Available For Development. According to a Bureau of Ocean Energy Management fact sheet, there are 159.49 billion barrels of undiscovered technically recoverable oil equivalent in the Outer Continental Shelf. The 2012 – 2017 proposed final leasing plan makes 122.27 billion barrels of undiscovered technically recoverable oil equivalent in the Outer Continental Shelf available for leasing, representing 76.6% of total offshore resources. [Bureau of Ocean Energy Management Fact Sheet, accessed 6/28/12]

ALL OF THE ABOVE ENERGY STRATEGY

President Obama Emphasized The Need For An “All-Out, All-Of-The-Above Strategy That Develops Every Available Source Of American Energy.” “But with only 2 percent of the world’s oil reserves, oil isn’t enough. This country needs an all-out, all-of-the-above strategy that develops every available source of American energy – a strategy that’s cleaner, cheaper, and full of new jobs.“ [Remarks by the President in State of the Union Address, 1/24/12]

· In The First Quarter Of 2012, Domestic Crude Oil Production Is At Its Highest Level In 14 Years. “Strong growth in U.S. crude oil production since the fourth quarter of 2011 is due mainly to higher output from North Dakota, Texas, and federal leases in the Gulf of Mexico, with total U.S. production during the first quarter of 2012 topping 6 million barrels per day (bbl/d) for the first time in 14 years.” [Energy Information Administration, 6/8/12]

· Domestic Production Of Natural Gas Is At An All-Time High. According to Energy Information Administration data, the United States’ marketed production of natural gas was 24,169,613 million cubic in 2011, breaking the previous record of 22,647,549 million cubic feet in 1973. [Energy Information Administration, 8/31/12]

· Net Electricity Generation From Wind Has More Than Doubled Between 2008 And 2011. In 2008, wind generated 55,363 megawatthours of electricity in the United States. In 2011 the United States produced 119,747 megawatthours of electricity from wind. [Energy Information Administration, Electric Power Monthly, September 2012]

· Net Electricity Generation From Solar Has More Than Doubled Between 2008 And November 2011. In 2008, the United States produced 864 megawatthours of electricity from solar sources. In 2011 the United States produced 1,814 megawatthours of electricity from solar. [Energy Information Administration, Electric Power Monthly, September 2012]

· The Obama Administration Is Implementing A More Than $5 Billion Investment Strategy In Clean Coal Research And Development Which Has Attracted More Than $10 Billion In Private Investment. “Today’s awards are part of a more than $5 billion investment strategy by the Obama Administration in clean coal technologies and R&D. This strategy, which has attracted over $10 billion in additional private capital investment, is designed to accelerate commercial deployment of clean coal technologies – particularly carbon capture and storage (CCS) – and to position the United States as a leader in the global clean energy race.” [Department of Energy Press Release, 6/6/12]

· The Obama Administration Issued A Conditional Loan Guarantee For The Construction Of The First Nuclear Power Plant In The United States In Decades, Which Will Provide Enough Energy For 1.4 Million People. From a Department of Energy press release: “The Energy Department and the Obama Administration are committed to restarting America’s nuclear industry to create new jobs and provide clean power to America’s communities. As part of these efforts, the Energy Department has awarded conditional loan guarantees to support the construction of the first U.S. nuclear reactors in more than three decades. The project, located at the Vogtle nuclear power plant in Burke, Georgia, will bring two new Westinghouse AP1000 reactors online -- supporting 3,500 construction jobs and 800 permanent jobs along with providing clean electricity to nearly 1.4 million people.” [Department of Energy, 12/20/11]

UNDER PRESIDENT OBAMA, THE UNITED STATES’ DEPENDENCE ON FOREIGN OIL WAS AT ITS LOWEST LEVEL IN 20 YEARS, AND PRESIDENT OBAMA HAS SET A GOAL OF CUTTING OIL IMPORTS IN HALF BY 2020

In The First Eight Months Of 2012, The United States’ Dependence On Foreign Oil Was At Its Lowest Level In 20 Years. According to the Energy Information Administration, in the first eight months of 2012, the percent of net imports of petroleum as a share of petroleum products supplied averaged 41.9%. According to Energy Information Administration data, this is the lowest level since 1992 when the percent of net petroleum imports as a share of petroleum product supplied was 40.7%. [Calculated from Energy Information Administration data, Monthly Energy Review, September 2012]

· The Energy Information Administration Projects That Net Oil And Petroleum Imports As A Share Of Consumption Will Fall From 45 Percent In 2011 To 41 Percent In 2012 And 39 Percent In 2013. According to the Energy Information Administration’s Short Term Energy Outlook: “The share of total U.S. consumption met by total liquid fuel net imports of both crude oil and products has been falling since peaking at over 60 percent in 2005. In 2011, it averaged 45 percent, down from 49 percent in 2010. EIA expects that the total net import share of consumption will continue to decline to 41 percent in 2012 and to 39 percent in 2013 because of the substantial increases in domestic crude oil production. If the 2013 forecast holds true, it would be the first time the share of total U.S. consumption met by total liquid fuel imports is less than 40 percent since 1991.” [Energy Information Administration, Short Term Energy Outlook, September 2012]

President Obama Has Set A Goal Of Cutting The United States’ Imports Of Oil In Half By 2020. From President Obama’s speech at the Democratic National Convention: “We’re offering a better path, where we -- a future where we keep investing in wind and solar and clean coal; where farmers and scientists harness new biofuels to power our cars and trucks; where construction workers build homes and factories that waste less energy; where we develop a hundred-year supply of natural gas that’s right beneath our feet. If you choose this path, we can cut our oil imports in half by 2020 and support more than 600,000 new jobs in natural gas alone.” [Remarks by the President at the Democratic National Convention, 9/7/12]

PRESIDENT OBAMA’S FUEL ECONOMY STANDARDS WILL SAVE DRIVERS MORE THAN $8,000 AT THE PUMP – ROUGHLY EQUIVALENT TO LOWERING THE PRICE OF GAS BY $1

The Obama Administration’s Fuel Economy Standards Will Double The Fuel Economy Of Cars And Light Trucks By 2025. “The Obama administration on Tuesday introduced new rules to double fuel economy for cars and light-duty trucks by 2025, a move that the White House says will be comparable to cutting a dollar a gallon from the price of gasoline and that auto dealers warned would raise the cost of a new car.” [McClatchy Newspapers, 8/28/12]

· The Obama Administration’s Fuel Efficiency Program Will Save The Average Car Buyer More Than $8,000 At The Pump. From an Environmental Protection Agency press release: “The Administration’s combined efforts represent the first meaningful update to fuel efficiency standards in decades. Together, they will save American families more than $1.7 trillion dollars in fuel costs, resulting in an average fuel savings of more than $8,000 by 2025 over the lifetime of the vehicle.” [Environmental Protection Agency Press Release, 8/28/12]

· The Obama Administration’s Fuel Economy Standards Will Create Savings At The Pump Roughly Equivalent To Lowering The Price Of Gasoline By $1. “The Administration’s combined efforts represent the first meaningful update to fuel efficiency standards in decades. Together, they will save American families more than $1.7 trillion dollars in fuel costs, resulting in an average fuel savings of more than $8,000 by 2025 over the lifetime of the vehicle. For families purchasing a model Year 2025 vehicle, the net savings will be comparable to lowering the price of gasoline by approximately $1 per gallon.” [Environmental Protection Agency Press Release, 8/28/12]

· Combined, The Fuel Economy Standards Proposed By The Obama Administration Will Reduce Greenhouse Gas Emissions From Cars And Light Trucks By Half. “The standards also represent historic progress to reduce carbon pollution and address climate change. Combined, the Administration’s standards will cut greenhouse gas emissions from cars and light trucks in half by 2025, reducing emissions by 6 billion metric tons over the life of the program – more than the total amount of carbon dioxide emitted by the United States in 2010.” [Environmental Protection Agency Press Release, 8/28/12]

PRESIDENT OBAMA’S ALL-OF-THE-ABOVE APPROACH TO ENERGY HAS HELPED BOOST DOMESTIC OIL PRODUCTION AND REDUCE OUR DEPENDENCE ON FOREIGN OIL

· In The First Quarter Of 2012, Domestic Crude Oil Production Is At Its Highest Level In 14 Years. “Strong growth in U.S. crude oil production since the fourth quarter of 2011 is due mainly to higher output from North Dakota, Texas, and federal leases in the Gulf of Mexico, with total U.S. production during the first quarter of 2012 topping 6 million barrels per day (bbl/d) for the first time in 14 years.” [Energy Information Administration, 6/8/12]

· Domestic Production Of Natural Gas Is At An All-Time High. According to Energy Information Administration data, the United States’ marketed production of natural gas was 24,169,613 million cubic in 2011, breaking the previous record of 22,647,549 million cubic feet in 1973. [Energy Information Administration, 8/31/12]

In The First Eight Months Of 2012, The United States’ Dependence On Foreign Oil Was At Its Lowest Level In 20 Years. According to the Energy Information Administration, in the first seven months of 2012, the percent of net imports of petroleum as a share of petroleum products supplied averaged 41.9%. According to Energy Information Administration data, this is the lowest level since 1992 when the percent of net petroleum imports as a share of petroleum product supplied was 40.7%. [Calculated from Energy Information Administration data, Monthly Energy Review, September 2012]

ROMNEY’S PLAN IS BASED ON OIL DRILLING AND CUTTING OFF INVESTMENTS IN RENEWABLE ENERGY – BUT WE CAN’T JUST DRILL OUR WAY TO ENERGY INDEPENDENCE

Romney Has The “View That The Government Should Cut Off Aid To Renewable Energy.” “Romney’s view that the government should cut off aid to renewable energy marks a reversal for the candidate.” [Washington Post, 6/8/12]

· TIME: “Romney Has Suggested That Wind And Solar Are ‘Imaginary’ Sources Of Energy, But They Can Now Power 15 Million Homes, And Their Industries Employ More Than 300,000 Americans. That’s Real.” “Before President Obama took office, the U.S. had 25 gigawatts of wind power, and the government’s ‘base case’ energy forecast expected 40 GW by 2030. Well, it’s not quite 2030 yet, but we’ve already got 50 GW of wind. We’ve also got about 5 GW of solar, which isn’t much, but is over six times more than we had before Obama. Mitt Romney has suggested that wind and solar are ‘imaginary’ sources of energy, but they can now power 15 million homes, and their industries employ more than 300,000 Americans. That’s real.” [Michael Grunwald, TIME, 8/10/12]

· The Hill Headline: “Romney Campaign: Let Wind Energy Credit Die This Year.” [The Hill, 7/30/12]

Washington Post: “Romney’s Plan Spends A Lot Of Time Talking About Drilling” But “Energy Independence Will Require More Than Just Drilling — It Will Also Depend On Efficiency Standards That Romney Has Opposed.” “Energy independence will require more than just drilling — it will also depend on efficiency standards that Romney has opposed. Mitt Romney’s plan spends a lot of time talking about drilling. But it’s worth noting that both the EIA and Citigroup credit the Obama administration’s new fuel-economy standards for cars and light trucks as a major part of America’s lurch toward energy independence. By 2025, the increased CAFE standards are expected to reduce U.S. oil consumption by about 2.2 million barrels per day. Without those rules, energy independence looks nearly impossible. And Romney, for his part, has pledged to overturn those fuel-economy rules.” [Wonk Blog, Washington Post, 8/23/12]