In his fifth State of the Union address, President Obama touted his “all of the above” energy strategy but focused heavily on two elements — natural gas and solar. The president acknowledged natural gas’ role in reducing American dependence on foreign imports and vowed to help the industry continue to produce and create jobs.
“Businesses plan to invest almost $100 billion in new factories that use natural gas,” Obama said. “I’ll cut red tape to help states get those factories built. Congress can help by putting people to work building fueling stations that shift more cars and trucks from foreign oil to American natural gas.”
Obama also cited gains made by the solar power sector, asserting that tax incentives enjoyed by the fossil fuels industry should be ended in favor of investments in renewables. Obama has repeatedly called for the elimination of certain oil and gas industry tax incentives throughout his administration, but such radical changes in tax policy have and continue to be a hard sell for the GOP-majority House.
