By Agnieszka Polec
Composition I, Professor Tom Fink
All people live in a very interesting and fast developing world, but at the same time in a world where air and water pollution is enormous. The cars, power plants and factories let out plenty of harmful gases which are one of the causes of global warming. Damaged tankers and drilling rigs poison oceans with oil, killing oceanic flora and fauna, but there are people who would like to change it. One of them is the USA President Barack Obama. He is the leader of the third largest country in the world in terms of population, the country that produces and consumes plenty of energy using for it foreign oil and fossil fuels. In Obama’s opinion, this situation is very dangerous economically and not favorable for the USA. Because of these threats the President of the United States and his administration decided to focus on these problems during Obama’s presidency.
One of Obama’s projects in terms of environment and economy is clean energy. In the Recovery Act Obama presents how is he going to use clean energy, how it will help the USA be independent in terms of oil and how it will help America economically now and in the future. The US President is also scared about the amount of money that the USA has to spend for buying fuels from other countries, because this “dependence on foreign oil threatens national security” (Energy & Environment). According to Obama “The nation that harnesses the power of clean, renewable energy will be the nation that leads the 21st century” (“Energy & Environment”). In my opinion Obama’s innovative initiatives are important for such a big country as the USA especially right now when the world is changing environmentally and economically. I also think that the President sees a great chance for the USA in renewable energy sources.
The earth gives us a lot of energy sources to use like hydroelectricity, solar energy, wind power, wave power and geothermal power, and the US President sees in them solutions for environmental threats. I think that Obama’s projects are very interesting, clear and easy to bring into effect, because the USA is the country with a lot of winds, sun and rivers ready to be used. Unfortunately most of the projects are stalled caused by “what they call ‘Not in my Back Yard’ activism, a broken permitting process, and a system that allows for never-ending lawsuits” (Carey). An example of stalling the plans for clean energy is the Sun Power California Valley Solar Ranch:
It is stalled because local residents haven’t warmed to the idea of the proliferation of solar projects in their area. The project has also had to wait because the site is home to 13 different species the federal government has deemed endangered, which means the impact on the local environment has to be assessed by biologists. (Carey)
I think that Obama’s projects in terms of clean energy are great but some people do not understand the importance of it. I am convinced that the businessmen making profits from selling coal or people that are making profits from fuel business block all Obama’s clean energy projects and try to beguile citizens or mislead them, in showing only scary scenarios in terms of renewable sources of energy.
I also agree with the President’s idea of “joint fuel economy and greenhouse gas emissions standards for cars and trucks from May 2009”, and also for “medium- and heavy-duty cars and trucks from May 2010” (“Energy & Environment”). Both of the plans will be made for the first time in the history of the USA and will allow people to save money, and keep our environment clean:
The new standards, covering model years 2012-2016, and ultimately requiring an average fuel economy standard of 35.5 mpg in 2016, are projected to save 1.8 billion barrels of oil over the life of the program with a fuel economy gain averaging more than 5 percent per year and a reduction of approximately 900 million metric tons in greenhouse gas emissions. (“President Obama announces…”)
It is very important for us to know that the cars driving around could be safe for the environment it means that they will not emit as much harmful gases as they used to do. New efficiency standards will help “American motorists save money at the pump while putting less pollution in the air” and “will encourage new and emerging technologies” (Qtd in Eilperin). I think it is a very promising future because the technology will not threaten the society, as it used to be, but finally will help in keeping our country safe and clean.
The US President also wants to encourage citizens to buy new electric or hybrid cars even though they are much more expensive than regular cars, and because of this, Obama and his administration decided to “change the existing $7,500 tax credit for electric vehicles into a rebate available to consumers immediately at the point of sale” (Goode). I think that car rebate is very tempting and will attract plenty of clients to electric car showrooms. Right now on the street we can see more and more electric or hybrid cars and even New York’s taxis are having a lot of them which is a very good sign for Obama’s political strategy and of course for our environment. In my opinion Obama’s efficiency standards and new technologies are one of the best choices in terms of environmental safety, and what is also important it will not clash with citizens’ home budgets.
President Obama also wants to protect our oceans, lakes and rivers from pollution, harmful poisons and ecological disasters. His “Great Lakes Restoration Initiative is the largest investment in the Great Lakes in two decades” (“Energy & Environment”) and dedicated to this purpose. After the BP Deepwater Oil Spill in 2010 the US President also decided to set up a “new National Ocean Council (NOC) to strengthen the ocean governance and coordination” (“The Interagency Ocean Policy Task Force”). NOC will be made up of federal agencies, state and regional groups working together on current issues in terms of Oceans and Great Lakes Policy. I think that this joint cooperation will be successful and will help to keep the USA waters safe. “For the first time in this country’s history, we will have a national policy that aligns the great promise of our oceans with the great responsibility for managing them in coordinated, thoughtful and sustainable fashion”(Qtd in Clayton). This cooperation will help to prevent such a disasters like BP Deepwater Oil Spill, “where the Management Minerals Service was doing things and other agencies were not fully engaged in raising warning flags”(Qtd. in Clayton). In my opinion NOC will help in better communication between government agencies, oil companies and fishermen, which will prevent and predict ecological catastrophes or ocean overusing.
All Obama’s Initiatives that I wrote about are very important for us, for our future, for our country and the world as well. I hope that environmentalists, businessmen and politicians will help the USA President to achieve his goals and realize his plans. Despite many obstacles caused by people with different points of view, with greedy nature or not understanding our ecological situation, I hope that most of Obama’s project will finally be put in place.
Works Cited
Carey, Amanda. “New Report Shows Even Clean Energy Projects Are Dying in Regulatory Nightmares.” The Daily Caller. 11 Mar. 2011. Web. 13 Mar. 2011.
Clayton, Mark. “How Obama Wants to Protect Oceans: White House Unveils New Plan.” The Christian Science Monitor. 19 Jul. 2010. Web. 20 Mar. 2011.
Goode, Darren. “Budget Touts Clean Energy.” Politico. 14 Feb. 2011. Web. 21 Mar.2011.
Eilperin, Juliet. “Emissions Limits, Greater Fuel Efficiency for Cars, Light Trucks Made Official.” The Washington Post. 2 Apr. 2010. Web. 19 Mar. 2011.
“Energy & Environment.” White House. Issues. Web.13 Mar.2011.
“President Obama Announces National Fuel Efficiency Policy.” White house, Office of Press Secretary. 19 May 2009. Web. 14 Mar. 2011.
“The Interagency Ocean Policy Task Force.” White House. Council on Environment Quality. Web. 18 Mar.2011.
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