Pres. Obama's Misguided Energy Plan

In its April 4 issue, C&E News said Pres. Obama last week laid out his energy plan. It consists of moving the US away from foreign oil, producing more domestic oil, and developing clean energy products and markets. He also vowed to fight for for sustained government energy R&D spending in the face of federal budget battles.

This so-called plan does not make a lot of sense, in consideration of the fact that for years Obama has been restricting production of oil in the US through denial of drilling permits. When he says "clean energy products", he refers to energy sources which do not liberate CO2. He and the EPA previously decided CO2 is a pollutant in the atmosphere, which it is not. The purpose of that definition on CO2 wives to promote solar and wind energy. A significant aspect is to tax anything that produces CO2 in order to increase government revenues and further increase the size of government.

Fighting for sustained government energy R&D is also ridiculous. With the billions of dollars previously spent on energy R&D at the government level, nothing has been developed to show any significance, other than the political policy of promoting wind and solar energy and inhibiting oil production in the United States. The President of the National petrochemical & Refiners Association said, "The President [Obama] is burdening the American taxpayer with billions upon billions of dollars in taxes to subsidize ethanol, electric cars and other energy ideas that can't survive in the free market."