Transcript:
Hi, everybody. On Thursday, I visited a steel plant in Cleveland, Ohio to talk about what we’re doing to rebuild our economy on a new foundation for stronger, more durable economic growth.
One area where we’ve made great progress is American energy. After
years of talk about reducing our dependence on foreign oil, we are actually
poised to control our own energy future.
Shortly after I took office, we invested in new American
technologies to reverse our dependence on foreign oil and double our wind and
solar power. And today, we generate more renewable energy than ever – with tens
of thousands of good, American jobs to show for it. We produce more natural gas
than anyone – and nearly everyone’s energy bill is lower because of it. And
just this week, we learned that for the first time in nearly two decades, the
United States of America now produces more of our own oil here at home than we
buy from other countries.
That’s a big deal. That’s a tremendous step towards American energy
independence.
But this is important, too: we reached this milestone in part not
only because we’re producing more energy, but because we’re wasting less
energy. We set new fuel standards for our cars and trucks so that they’ll go
twice as far on a gallon of gas by the middle of the next decade. That’s going
to save an average driver more than $8,000 at the pump over the life of a new
car. We also launched initiatives to put people to work upgrading our homes,
businesses, and factories so that they waste less energy. That’s going to save
our businesses money on their energy bills – that's money they can use to hire
more workers.
Here’s another thing. Between more clean energy, and less wasted
energy, our emissions of dangerous carbon pollution are actually falling.
That’s good news for anyone who cares about the world we leave to our kids.
And while our carbon emissions have been dropping, our economy has
been growing. Our businesses have created 7.8 million new jobs in the past 44
months. It proves that the old argument that we can’t strengthen the economy
and be good stewards of our planet at the same time is a false choice. We can
do both. And we have to do both.
More good jobs. Cheaper and cleaner sources of energy. A secure
energy future. Thanks to the grit and resilience of American businesses and the
American people, that’s where we’re heading. And as long as I’m President,
that’s where we’re going to keep heading – to leave our children a stronger
economy, and a safer planet.
Thanks, and have a great weekend.
