2015 State of the Union address: on Energy & Oil


Barack Obama: 14 warmest years on record occurred in last 15 years

No challenge poses a greater threat to future generations than climate change. 2014 was the planet's warmest year on record. Now, one year doesn't make a trend, but this does--14 of the 15 warmest years on record have all fallen in the first 15 years of this century.

I've heard some folks try to dodge the evidence by saying they're not scientists; that we don't have enough information to act. Well, I'm not a scientist, either. But you know what--I know a lot of really good scientists at NASA, and NOAA, and at our major universities. The best scientists in the world are all telling us that our activities are changing the climate, and if we do not act forcefully, we'll continue to see rising oceans, longer, hotter heat waves, dangerous droughts and floods, and massive disruptions that can trigger greater migration, conflict, and hunger around the globe. The Pentagon says that climate change poses immediate risks to our national security. We should act like it.

Source: 2015 State of the Union address Jan 20, 2015

Barack Obama: China has agreed with US; rest of world will now follow

Over the past six years, we've done more than ever before to combat climate change, from the way we produce energy, to the way we use it. That's why we've set aside more public lands and waters than any administration in history. And that's why I will not let this Congress endanger the health of our children by turning back the clock on our efforts. I am determined to make sure American leadership drives international action. In Beijing, we made an historic announcement--the United States will double the pace at which we cut carbon pollution, and China committed, for the first time, to limiting their emissions. And because the world's two largest economies came together, other nations are now stepping up, and offering hope that, this year, the world will finally reach an agreement to protect the one planet we've got.
Source: 2015 State of the Union address Jan 20, 2015

Barack Obama: FactCheck: US Is biggest oil & gas producer, but privately

Obama said, "We believed we could reduce our dependence on foreign oil and protect our planet. And today, America is number one in oil and gas."

FactCheck: The US is now the largest oil and natural-gas producer in the world: domestic oil production increased from an average of 5.2 million barrels per day in 2009 to 7.2 million barrels per day in 2013. Natural-gas production jumped from 21.6 trillion cubic feet to 25.5 trillion cubic feet during the same period.

That boom, however, has taken place largely on state and private land and out of reach of the administration. And while fossil-fuel production is up overall, from 2009 to 2013, oil and natural-gas production actually decreased on federally owned tracts of land.

US imports of crude oil have also fallen in recent years, declining from an average of 9.7 million barrels per day of oil imports in 2008 to 8.5 million barrels per day in 2012. But despite that decline, the US remains the No. 1 oil importer in the world

Source: National Journal FactCheck on 2015 State of the Union Jan 20, 2015

Curt Clawson: Keystone XL pipeline must be completed

Clawson--speaking on behalf of Tea Party Express--said all new government programs and increases to federal debt or taxes were wrong. He said that the small-business and corporate tax rates should be cut in half, and that the Keystone XL pipeline must be completed.
Source: NPR.org on Tea Party 2015 State of the Union response Jan 20, 2015

Joni Ernst: Keystone Jobs Bill: many jobs; minimal environmental impact

You've probably heard about the Keystone jobs bill. President Obama has been delaying this bipartisan infrastructure project for years. The President's own State Department has said Keystone's construction could support thousands of jobs and pump billions into our economy, and do it with minimal environmental impact.

We worked with Democrats to pass this bill through the House & now the Senate. President Obama will soon have a decision to make: will he sign the bill, or block good American jobs

Source: GOP response to the 2015 State of the Union address Jan 20, 2015

  • The above quotations are from 2015 State of the Union address to Congress, plus the Republican Responses: Jan. 20, 2015.
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2016 Presidential contenders on Energy & Oil:
  Republicans:
Gov.Jeb Bush(FL)
Dr.Ben Carson(MD)
Gov.Chris Christie(NJ)
Sen.Ted Cruz(TX)
Carly Fiorina(CA)
Gov.Jim Gilmore(VA)
Sen.Lindsey Graham(SC)
Gov.Mike Huckabee(AR)
Gov.Bobby Jindal(LA)
Gov.John Kasich(OH)
Gov.Sarah Palin(AK)
Gov.George Pataki(NY)
Sen.Rand Paul(KY)
Gov.Rick Perry(TX)
Sen.Rob Portman(OH)
Sen.Marco Rubio(FL)
Sen.Rick Santorum(PA)
Donald Trump(NY)
Gov.Scott Walker(WI) 		Democrats:
Gov.Lincoln Chafee(RI)
Secy.Hillary Clinton(NY)
V.P.Joe Biden(DE)
Gov.Martin O`Malley(MD)
Sen.Bernie Sanders(VT)
Sen.Elizabeth Warren(MA)
Sen.Jim Webb(VA)

2016 Third Party Candidates:
Gov.Gary Johnson(L-NM)
Roseanne Barr(PF-HI)
Robert Steele(L-NY)
Dr.Jill Stein(G,MA)
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