We have a supply of natural gas that can last America nearly one
hundred years, and my administration will take every possible action to safely develop
this energy. Experts believe this will support more than 600,000
jobs by the end of the decade. And I'm requiring all companies
that drill for gas on public lands to disclose the chemicals
they use. America will develop this resource without putting the
health and safety of our citizens at risk.
The development of natural gas will create jobs and power trucks
and factories that are cleaner and cheaper,
proving that we don't have to choose between our environment and
our economy. And by the way, it was public research dollars,
over the course of thirty years, that helped develop the
technologies to extract all this natural gas out of shale rock -
reminding us
that Government support is critical in helping businesses get
new energy ideas off the ground.
What's true for natural gas is true for clean energy. In three
years, our partnership with the private sector
has already positioned America to be the world's leading
manufacturer of high-tech batteries. Because of federal
investments,
renewable energy use has nearly doubled. And thousands of
Americans have jobs because of it.
When Bryan Ritterby was laid off from his job making furniture,
he said he worried that at 55, no one would give him a
second chance. But he found work at Energetx, a wind turbine
manufacturer in Michigan. Before the recession, the factory only
made
luxury yachts. Today, it's hiring workers like Bryan, who said,
"I'm proud to be working in the industry of the future."
Our experience with shale gas shows us that the payoffs on these
public investments don't always come right away.
Some technologies don't pan out; some companies fail. But I will
not walk away from the promise of clean energy. I will not
walk away from workers like Bryan. I will not cede the wind or
solar or battery industry to China or Germany because we refuse
to make the same commitment here. We have subsidized oil
companies for a century. That's long enough. It's time to end
the taxpayer
giveaways to an industry that's rbarely been more profitable, and
double-down on a clean energy industry that's never been more
promising.
Pass clean energy tax credits and create these jobs.
We can also spur energy innovation with new incentives. The
differences in this chamber may be too deep right now to
pass a comprehensive plan to fight climate change. But there's
no reason why Congress shouldn't at least set a clean energy
standard that
creates a market for innovation. So far, you haven't acted. Well
tonight, I will. I'm directing my Administration to allow the
development
of clean energy on enough public land to power three million
homes. And I'm proud to announce that the Department of Defense,
the world's
largest consumer of energy, will make one of the largest
commitments to clean energy in history - with the Navy
purchasing enough
capacity to power a quarter of a million homes a year.
Of course, the easiest way to save money is to waste less
energy. So here's another proposal: Help
manufacturers eliminate energy waste in their factories and give
businesses incentives to upgrade their buildings.
Their energy bills will be $100 billion lower over the next
decade, and America will have less pollution, more
manufacturing,
and more jobs for construction workers who need them. Send me a
bill that creates these jobs.
Building this new energy future should be just one part of a
broader agenda to repair America's infrastructure.
So much of America needs to be rebuilt. We've got crumbling
roads and bridges. A power grid that wastes too much energy.
An incomplete high-speed broadband network that prevents a small
business owner in rural America from selling her products all
over the world.
For the full text of the address,
follow this link:
Remarks by the President in the State of the Union Address
