President Joe Biden sparked a firestorm in energy circles when he said in Tuesday\u2019s State of the Union address that the United States will need oil \u201cfor at least another decade.\u2033
\nRepublicans in the House chamber laughed in derision at Biden\u2019s off-the-cuff remark, which was not in his scripted speech. GOP lawmakers accused the Democratic president of refusing to accept reality and \u201cliving in a green hallucination,\u2033 as Montana Sen. Steve Daines put it.
\n\u201cPresident Biden implied tonight America would not produce oil beyond the next decade. If you believe that, you have missed a lot and live in a dream world. God help America,\u2033 Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., said in a tweet.
\nBut environmentalists and some Democrats supported Biden, saying the U.S. needs a plan to wean itself off oil and other fossil fuels \u2014 the sooner, the better.
\n\u201cI think the president is right,\u2033 said Collin Rees, a senior campaigner for the green group Oil Change International. \u201cWe can\u2019t continue to pretend we\u2019re reducing (greenhouse gas) emissions without addressing oil production, and that means phasing out fossil fuels.\u2033
\n\u201cIf we\u2019re going to save our future, we need a transition away from dirty, expensive and deadly fossil fuels, and we need to be speeding up \u2014 not slowing down,\u201d added Sen. Ed Markey, D-Mass.
\nBiden made the comment as he touted a landmark law to slow climate change. The law he signed last year \u2014 supported only by Democrats \u2014 authorizes hundreds of billions of dollars to boost renewable energy such as wind and solar power and help consumers buy electric vehicles and energy-efficient appliances.
\nThe law is a key part of Biden\u2019s ambitious bid to cut planet-warming greenhouse gas emissions in half by 2030 and achieve net-zero emissions by 2050. Most experts say the net-zero goal is unlikely to be fully achieved even under the most optimistic scenarios.
\nPhasing out oil within a decade is virtually impossible, said energy analyst Kevin Book.
\n\u201cI think the White House may want to workshop the ad-libs\u201d before Biden speaks, Book joked Wednesday, adding that no serious analyst believes oil can be completely phased out in a matter of years.
\n\u201cWe rely on oil and gas for 85 to 90 percent of transportation energy,\u2033 he said. Electric vehicles, while growing in popularity, represent less than 6% of new U.S. car sales.
\nEven the U.S. government agrees that oil and gas will likely be needed for decades to come. The Energy Information Administration, a statistical and research arm of the Energy Department, projects that U.S. energy consumption will increase over the next 30 years as population and economic growth outpace energy efficiency gains.
\nPetroleum and natural gas are likely to remain the nation\u2019s largest energy sources through 2050, the EIA said in a report last year, even as renewable energy such as wind and solar power are the fastest growing.
\nThe White House said Biden\u2019s comments were in line with statements he and other administration officials have made previously \u2014 namely that the U.S. is in the midst of an energy transition and will continue to need oil.
\n\u201cLet\u2019s be very clear that fossil fuels will remain in the mix of the energy system of the globe for years to come,\u2033 Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm said in a 2022 remark cited by the White House.
\nIronically, Biden\u2019s comment came as he tried to reassure critics that he recognizes the need for continued oil production. \u201cWe\u2019re still going to need oil and gas for a while,\u2033 Biden said, before adding the 10-year time frame in a later, ad-libbed remark.
\nAfter GOP lawmakers laughed, Biden quickly responded: \u201cAnd beyond that. We\u2019re going to need it.\u2033
\nBiden\u2019s message to the oil industry \u2014 \u201cStay in business, we need you today\u201d \u2014 was the right one, \u201cbut his units were off,\u2033 Book said. \u201cHe was giving a 10-year life expectancy to 50-year assets.\u2033
\nMike Sommers, president of the American Petroleum Institute, said Biden \u201ccould have used his #SOTU address to unite America. Instead, he has again criticized American businesses that employ millions of Americans, pay taxes and provide energy for the world. U.S. oil and natural gas producers, transporters and refiners deserve better.\u2033
\nBen Jealous, executive director of the Sierra Club, said expanding oil and gas production and extending the life-span of fossil fuel infrastructure such as refineries \u201cwould only exacerbate the climate crisis while further padding the profits of the very same companies President Biden rightfully decried\u2033 in the State of the Union.
\n\u201cWhat we need is doubling down on our investments to equitably transition off of the fuels of the past and to clean energy,\u2033 Jealous said.<\/p>\n
Apnews<\/p>\n
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