President Obama announced a potential environmental nightmare when he called tonight for more than 75% of offshore oil and gas resources to be exploited. The President claimed he would not compromise on oil spills, but he has approved oil exploration in the Arctic, which his own Coast Guard says will be a “nightmare scenario” when an oil spill happens. -–Greenpeace, 25 January 2012
Overt references to climate change and greenhouse gas emissions have been banished from White House vocabulary. --John Kemp, Reuters, 24 January 2012
President Obama delivered the State of the Union address tonight, and left many eco friendly people more than a little unhappy. There were several aspects to the 2012 State of the Union speech that should leave any true eco-friendly person's heart cold, not the least of which was the complete lack of the use of the word "Green". Of all the comments though, the worst had to be when he applauded the success of "Fracking". --Salena Wakim, Palm Springs Green Living Examiner, 25 January 2012
After Obama's State of the Union, it’s hard to see how, under plausible assumptions, greenhouse gas emissions could be reduced substantially in the foreseeable future. The pressures of population and economic growth overwhelm improved energy efficiency or shifts to “green” energy. --Robert Samuelson, The Washington Post, 25 October 2012
It appears reason has already been taken hostage this election year, replaced with sound bites and scare tactics from those who appear to prefer rhetoric over reason. With an upcoming presidential election the volume and frequency of debate over natural gas will certainly continue to increase in Washington and in communities around the country. For the sake of our energy future, this debate must be civil, informed, thoughtful, and in America's best interest. Hopefully, this is more than just wishful thinking. --Frank Stewart, Huffington Post, 25 January 2012
Had Barack Obama given this State of the Union speech at the beginning of his Presidency, I probably would have been supportive of many of his proposals. Today, though, I am simply dumbfounded at the mismatch between his words last night and his policies and actions over the last three years. The portion that really floored me was Obama’s taking credit for the increase in US oil and gas production over the last several years. Oil and gas companies are once again proving Julian Simon’s addage that the only true scarcity is human brain power, and they should be given a lot of credit for the recent production boom. The one person who deserves no credit for this boom is Barack Obama. In fact, this Administration has bent over backwards to make oil and gas production and exploration as difficult as possible. --Warren Meyer, Forbes, 25 January 2012
A carbon tax being introduced next year will increase household electricity bills and could have a ‘devastating effect’ on industry, MPs say. In a damning report they claim the ‘carbon price floor’ will saddle businesses with higher green penalties than the rest of Europe while failing to deliver any environmental benefits. The Energy and Climate Change Committee urged the Treasury to scrap the plan and warned against revenue-raising exercises ‘disguised as a green policy’. --Daily Mail, 26 January 2012
