Obama Plays Offense And Defense On Energy Policy

Michelle Yazvac

blog #10

This past Wednesday, Obama proposed a new direction for which our policy concerning the environment will steer. We are a country fully dependent on oil from foreign countries and are trying to quickly plan a new alternative way in which we obtain oil. He has stated that it will take many changes of course, and by reducing dependence on foreign oil, will mean companies and individual citizens will have to increase their costs to convert over to renewable and clean energy. Our habits would have to change but for certain, our mindsets will have to change first. Obama's goals are too reduce the dependence on oil by a third, "a little more than a decade from now." The next step is to start building the "next generation of plants."

Americans are starting to wake up to the need to conserve. Gas prices have been high by our standards since 2008. People are shifting to more fuel efficient vehicles. I know there has been some thoughts into building more closely, instead of sprawled out meeting the suburbia reputation that America has.
Our cities are way too car dependant. If we designed in more mixed land uses and population density we would have real choices about how to get around. Given the challenge that expensive gas poses to our economy and the ongoing problem of global warming, we can't afford to delay this change anymore. What bigger problem out there is bigger than the rest of the world?



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