Dear DotCalm:

Thank you for writing.

I appreciate hearing from you, and I share the vision of millions of Americans who want to take control of our Nation’s energy future.

My Administration’s all-of-the-above energy strategy is about developing every source of American energy—a strategy aimed at saving families and businesses money by reducing our reliance on oil imports, expanding domestic oil and gas production, and positioning the United States as the global leader in clean energy.

Today, no area holds more promise than our investments in American energy, and we are finally poised to control our own energy future.

Under my Administration, American oil production is at its highest level in 15 years, and we are now less reliant on oil imports than in any of the past 20 years.

We have opened up millions of new acres for safe and responsible oil and gas exploration.

Thanks to our Nation’s oil production, more efficient vehicles, and a world-class refining sector, we have cut net imports of oil by more than one-third since 2008.

We supported the first new nuclear power plant in America since the 1970s.

We are also investing in advanced biofuels projects across the country, and we are now sending less carbon pollution into the environment than we have in nearly two decades.

My Administration will continue to look for every way we can help energy consumers—from relieving distribution bottlenecks to increasing transparency and reducing volatility in the oil markets.

We established the toughest new fuel economy standards for cars and light trucks in history so that by the middle of the next decade, our cars and trucks will go twice as far on a gallon of gas.

Our Nation is already becoming a global leader in advanced vehicles, and auto dealers are selling more hybrid vehicles than ever before.

So by investing in our energy security, we can help our businesses succeed and create good middle-class jobs here in America.

We are making good progress, but to free ourselves from the impact of spikes in gasoline prices, we must further reduce the oil used by our cars and trucks.

That is why I am calling on Congress to use some of our oil and gas revenues to fund an Energy Security Trust that will drive new research and development to make the energy technologies of the future cheaper, better, and less reliant on oil.

Through this fund, we can support scientists and engineers who are designing new materials and technologies for advanced vehicles that run on alternative fuels, developing cheaper batteries that go farther on a single charge, and devising new ways to fuel our cars and trucks with new sources of clean energy.

This proposal is not just about saving American families money at the pump and protecting our environment; it is also about strengthening our national security.

Partnered with our other energy policies, the Energy Security Trust would help solidify America’s position as a world leader in advanced transportation technology.

Our country produces more natural gas than ever before, and that has led to cleaner power, lower energy bills, and greater energy independence.

The United States leads the world in natural gas production, with reserves that can last nearly 100 years—a supply that can power our cars, trucks, trains, homes, and factories in a cleaner and cheaper way, and one that will support hundreds of thousands of jobs.

However, we must develop and utilize this resource while upholding the highest environmental and safety standards.

That is why my Administration will finalize commonsense new rules for companies drilling for natural gas on public lands.

Thanks in part to my Administration’s investments in clean energy—the largest in our Nation’s history—the United States has doubled renewable energy generation from wind, solar, and geothermal sources, and tens of thousands of Americans now have jobs as a result.

I have also set a goal to double renewable electricity production again by 2020 to build on our momentum and create even more jobs.

I have repeatedly called on Congress to stop giving away $4 billion a year in oil and gas subsidies to an industry that has never been more profitable, and instead to pass clean energy tax credits to cultivate a market for innovation in clean energy technology.

The United States military—the largest energy consumer in the world—is reducing its fuel use and improving its operational performance through one of the largest commitments to clean energy in history.

There is still more work to be done to develop our sustainable energy sources, and we must seize every opportunity to do so.

We must lead the world in developing the technology that will power tomorrow’s industries and jobs.

Securing our Nation’s energy future is one of the major challenges of our time, and will require the efforts of our brightest innovators and most creative companies.

The nature of America’s rise has been our drive, our restlessness, and our willingness to take risks—and we are poised to succeed as long as we do not lose that spirit of innovation.

I encourage you to learn more about my Administration’s efforts at www.WhiteHouse.gov/energy.

Thank you, again, for writing.

Sincerely,
Barack Obama