Obama Urges Energy Reform But Makes No Mention of Cap on Carbon

Arguing that the Gulf of Mexico oil spill is “the most painful and powerful reminder yet that the time to embrace a clean energy future is now,” President Obama called on the U.S. to end its “addiction” to fossil fuels and make the transition to a renewable energy economy. In an address from the Oval Office, Obama said the country “can’t afford not to change how we use and produce energy” because the environmental and security costs of continuing to rely on fossil fuels “are far greater.” But Obama backed no specific proposals, and while mentioning legislation that would push for greater energy efficiency and more reliance on wind and solar power, he pointedly did not call for a cap on carbon dioxide emissions. A bill capping CO2 emissions and putting a price on carbon has passed the House of Representatives, but is stalled in the Senate, and Obama and his aides have said they do not yet have the votes to pass a Senate cap-and-trade bill. On the day Obama spoke, U.S. government scientists increased by 50 percent their estimates of how much oil was spewing from the damaged Deepwater Horizon well, saying roughly 35,000 to 60,000 barrels were now pouring each day out of the well. The most recent estimate was 20,000 to 40,000 barrels per day.