US President Barack Obama presented the 2011 State of the Union address January 25th drawing attention to the country’s need to kick start innovation in the key biomedical, information technology and clean energy sectors.
President Obama did not specifically mention climate change in the address, instead focusing on research & development, education, infrastructure, defense, and government restructuring. The proposed R&D and infrastructure investments are expected to address some climate- and energy-related goals through emphasis on projects including clean energy technologies. Obama’s goals include:
- 1 million electric vehicles on the road by 2015;
- 80% of the country’s electricity from clean energy sources by 2035; and
- access to high-speed rail to at least 80% of Americans within 25 years.
Another notable objective in the speech is the elimination of public subsidies to oil companies, and investment of funds into the clean energy sector instead. Chair of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, Jeff Bingaman (D-NM), has expressed some doubts about the possibility of ending the oil subsidies, noting that previous such measures in budget proposals met with resistance from Congress.
Beyond energy investment, Obama also set a goal of doubling US exports by 2014 and ordered a review in mid-January of existing regulations to reduce barriers to growth and investment. The President also proposed freezing domestic spending for the next five years in order to reduce the country’s deficit by over US$400 billion in ten years.
In the week since the address, Bingaman has discussed proposing legislation for a clean energy standard (CES). Such a CES would incentivize renewable energy projects like wind and solar, as well as ‘clean’ technologies such as nuclear and CCS. The White House also launched its Startup America program, which among other goals aims to enable commercialization of close to $150B in annual federally-funded research and development, and so support innovative startups and new industries.
