by Brianna Crandall — April 8, 2011—President Barack Obama outlined his energy security plan on March 30, calling for a variety of energy efficiency and renewable energy measures designed to reduce U.S. oil imports by one-third by 2025, according to news from the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE).
The president said when he took office, the United States was importing 11 million barrels of oil a day. He believes that in little more than a decade, that amount can be cut substantially. The roadmap to achieving that goal is contained in the administration’s “Blueprint for a Secure Energy Future,” which was also released on March 30.
As part of his strategy, the president cited an array of clean energy avenues worth pursuing. He noted that expanding biofuels markets and commercializing new biofuels technologies, such as promising cellulosic and advanced biofuels technologies, could help trim oil imports. To support that, the administration has set a goal of breaking ground on at least four commercial-scale cellulosic or advanced bio-refineries over the next two years.
President Obama also endorsed setting new fuel economy standards, like the one for model years 2012-16 that will raise average fuel economy to 35.5 mpg by 2016. In July the administration will finalize the first-ever national fuel economy and greenhouse gas emission standards for commercial trucks. Additionally, the federal government will make its 600,000-vehicle fleet more fuel efficient, and the president called for all new vehicles purchased by 2015 to be alternative-fuel vehicles, namely hybrid or electric vehicles (EVs).
Finally, he stressed promoting investments in energy efficiency for the residential, commercial, and industrial sectors. The administration, he said, is pursuing a series of policies that will increase efficiency across sectors.
Obama reiterated that he has set a goal of having one million electric vehicles on U.S. roads by 2015. To reach this target, the government has created incentives for both consumers and companies, such as competitive grants to develop the next generation of batteries for EVs. Overall, the president said the United States must focus on expanding cleaner sources of electricity to build a clean energy economy.
