this possible, we're grateful to them. [applause] courage is an essential ingredient in in in a landmark legislation, particularly when the attacks are as fierce and unrelenting and inaccurate as they have been over the past year. i just want to commend members of congress who have the courage to do what was right -- [applause] and to say special thank you to all of the members. [applause] you know, the past couple of years have brought one challenge after another. and you have risen to the moment each time. i could not be proper of the work that all of you have done, and it would not have happened if it had not been for the incredible persistence and

stick-to-itiveness of all the folks in the audience here today. ultimately, congress responds to the voices they are hearing in their communities and so many of you have written letters and come to meetings. and you have let people know of the ordinary strolls the people are going through each and every day -- ordinary struggles that people are going through each and every day. you are the ones who provided congress the courage to do what is right. on behalf of all of us who are serving in washington, we want to thank you, the american people, for your outstanding leadership. and with god, i'm going to sign this bill. thank you very much for -- and with that, going to sign this bill. off thank you very much. -- thank you very much. [applause]

[cheers] [laughter] >> [inaudible] [cheers]

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>> thank you, everybody. [cheers and applause] ♪

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[cheers and applause] ♪ [cheers and applause] ♪ >> and now, president obama opposes a proposal to expand

offshore oil drilling, also, his plans to increase fuel efficiency standards for cars. this event took place at andrews air force base, and is about 25 minutes. >> we are here today because america's -- americans have waited long enough for the energy security they have been promised for decades. it was in 1970 when president nixon first coined the term "energy independence" and president since then have promised to deliver on the goal. and yet today, america and america's families are still filling their cars with fuel from deserts' that are half a world away. our economies still rides at the highs and lows of the world oil prices and our children are asking, will we still be behind the same old energy policy of the past four years, or is now the time for change? president obama has made

nuclear that we are not here to do what is easy. we're here to do what is right. to make the hard choices, to succeed where others have failed by finally cutting america's dependence on foreign oil, building a clean energy economy that is more secure and more prosperous, and protecting our children from the dangers of pollution. since president obama took office, we have made great progress toward this goal. we have made the largest investment in renewable energy in our history and we're fighting to put the united states back on top it with technologies that will shape the next century. we cannot afford to lose to china or india or anyone else. all of the things that we're doing will help us cut

dependence on foreign oil. but no single energy source is enough. oil, gas, coal, nuclear, wind, solar, they all need to be on the table. today we are announcing how we will responsibly expand oil and gas exploration and development on the outer continental shelf. our strategy calls for expanded delavan and production in areas such as the eastern gulf of mexico where we can develop more than 125 miles off the florida coast. we're also moving forward with the significant oil and gas exploration in frontier areas, such as areas in the arctic and the atlantic where we fuss -- we first must determine where oil and gas reserves exist and, secondly, if we handled them

appropriately. we're protecting areas off our coast like alaska's's bristol bay where soup -- that are simply too important for us to develop. bristol bay has one of the largest sockeye salmon runs in the world. people come from across the world to see its wildlife. it is a national treasure that we must protect. , together, our efforts to explore and develop and protect represent a new direction from the past, a change from the past on the outer continental shelf. after years of lawsuits and political battles, we're bringing much-needed border in uncertain -- and certainty to our nation's programs. this certainly will come to ensure the development occurs in the right places and in the right ways and in a manner that

protects our precious environment, that we're making decisions based on sound information and the sound science, much of it that still has to be developed. that we're listening to the communities that are most affected by developments, and that we are following the law and have an orderly process for exploration and development, and that finally, american taxpayers are getting a fair return on the use of their resources. these are the principles that will guide our offshore energy future. as the secretary of interior, my responsibility is to balance the many uses and needs on the outer continental shelf. i know the decisions we make will affect our prosperity and the availability of the affordable domestic energy supplies for years to come. but i also make these decisions knowing our responsibility as an american people how to preserve the land, water, and while life that have allowed our country to

flourish generation to generation. in 1907, president and eighth -- teddy roosevelt reminded the congress that although we are blessed with a rich natural. -- natural resources in america, we must provide them for future iterations. he said optimism is a good characteristic, but if carried to excess, it is foolishness. we are prone to speak of the resources of this country as inexhaustible. this is not so. that is what president teddy roosevelt said now over 100 years ago. the strategy that we're announcing today keeps his caution -- left hheds is -- not heeds -- he needs his caution and protect the places that we love most. we're fortunate that in this

time has replaced the issues across the world and here domestically, that we have president obama in place as our leader in all of these efforts. president obama understands that to do what is right for our country, we must rise above the political battles of the moment. energy security is not a democratic or republican issue. it is an american issue, an american issue star and has come. ladies and gentlemen, help me welcome the president of the united states of america, barack obama. [applause]

>> thank you, everybody. please, have a seat. i want to make two introductions before a maker martin -- my remarks. -- before i make my remarks. i think we will find that cancels are is one of the finest secretaries of the interior that we have ever -- ken salazar is one of the finest secretaries of the interior that we have ever had. [applause] other members of what we call our green team are here. stephen chu, our secretarial ministry, martha johnson, the ceq chair, carol browner, our

white house, a managing director -- please give them a round of applause. [applause] gov. martin o'malley is here. [applause] ray mavis, the secretary of the navy is here. [applause] admiral gary ruffhead, chief of naval operations, is here. thank you, gary. [applause] i want to thank the base commander here at andrews and the leadership that is present from the air force, the marine corps, and it was guard. ken and i were colleagues in the senate and i appointed him int because i knew he would be a faithful and pragmatic stored of

our raw natural resources. as secretary, he is changing the way the department does business so we are the responsibly developing sources of energy and renewable sources of energy, from the wind on the high plains to the suns in the desert, to the winds off our coast. when grateful for the work he has done that as culminating in -- i am grateful for the work he has done today that is ut(v andrews is the home of air force one and i appreciate everything you do for me and my family. i should]: point out that you he a 100% on-time departure record. you do not charge for luggage. it is a pretty good deal. [laughter] i want to thank you not only for the support that you provide me, but also for the service that you perform to keep our country save every day.

i am grateful for -- to all of you. we are here to talk about america's energy security. it is an issue that has been a priority for my administration since the day i took office. already, we have made the largest investment in clean energy in our nation's history. it is an investment that is expected to create or save more than 700,000 jobs across america, jobs manufacturing batteries for more efficient vehicles, the upgrading the power grid so it is stronger and smarter. doubling our nation's capacity for in renewable energy is like the wind and the sun. just a few months after taking office, i also gathered the leaders of the world's largest auto makers, the heads of labor unions, environmental advocates, and politicians across the country to reach an historic agreement to raise fuel economy standards in cars and trucks. and tomorrow after decades in which we have done little to

increase auto efficiency, those standards will be finalized, which will reduce our dependence on oil while helping folks spend a little less at the pump. my administration is of holding its end of the deal. and we expect all party -- all parties to do the same. and this new rule about increasing mileage standards will save 1.8 billion barrels of oil overall. 1.8 billion barrels of oil, that is like taking 58 million cars off the road for an entire year. today, we will also go one step further. in order to save energy and further tax payer dollars, my administration led by secretary chu as well as administrator johnson at gsa will reduce the

number of cars used by the government overall. we will practice what we preach in cutting waste, saving energy, and reducing our reliance on foreign oil. but we have to do more. we need to make continued investments in clean coal technologies and advanced biofuels. a few weeks ago i announced loan guarantees to break ground on america's first new nuclear facility, a project that will create thousands of jobs. and in the short term, as we transition to clean energy sources, we still need to make tough decisions about opening offshore areas for oil and gas development in ways that protect communities and protect coastlines. this is not a decision i have made lightly. it is one that ken and i as well as carol browner, my energy adviser, and others in the administration looked at closely for more than a year. the bottom line is this, given our energy needs, in order to

sustain economic growth and produce jobs and keep our business is competitive, we will need to harness traditional sources of fuel and even as rampant up homegrown -- ramble up homegrown energy. today, we are announcing offshore exploration, but in ways that need to balance america's natural resources. under secretary salazar, we will employ technologies that reduce exploration, that reduce possibility of terrorism and keep us secure. and it will be guided by technology and evidence. that is why we will continue to support development of leased

areas of the north slope of alaska while protecting alaska's's bristol bay. there will be those who strongly disagree with this decision, including those who say we should not open any new areas to drilling. i want to emphasize that this announcement is part of a broader strategy that will move was from an economy that runs on fossil fuels and foreign oil-and move us from an economy that runs on fossil fuels and for oil off to clean energy. the only way it will succeed is if it strengthens our economy in the short term and the long term. to recognize -- to fail to recognize this reality is a mistake. there are some that will say we do not go far enough, that suggest we should open all our waters without restriction or regard for the broader economic impact or environmental impact. to those folks i have to say this, we have less than 2% of

the oil -- the world's oil reserves. we consume more than 20% of the world's oil. what that means is that drilling alone cannot come close to meeting our long-term energy needs. for the sake of our planet and our energy independence, we need to transition to cleaner float -- cleaner fuels now. the answer is not drilling everywhere all the time, but the answer is also not for us to extort -- ignore the fact that we will need energy sources to maintain our economic growth and security. ultimately, we need to move beyond the tired debates of the left and the ride, between business leaders and environmentalists, between those who claim drilling is a cure all and not those who pay -- to claim it has no place. -- and those who claim it has no place. for decades, we have talked about our dependence on foreign oil at threatens our economy,

yet our will to act rises and falls with the price of a barrel of oil. when gas gets expensive of the pump, suddenly, everyone is an energy expert. when it goes back down, everyone goes back to their old habits. for decades, we have talked about the threat to future generations posed by our current system of energy even as we can see the amount of evidence coming from the arctic circle to the gulf coast. this is particularly relevant to all of you serving uniform. for decades we have talked about rivkin to our security -- about the risk to our security created by dependence on foreign oil. but the defendant has grown year after year. and while our politics remains entrenched along these divides, the ground has shifted beneath our feet. are around the world, countries are seeking an edge in the global marketplace by investing in new ways of saving energy. and from china to germany, these

nations recognize that the nation of leads the clean energy economy is the nation that will lead the global economy. and meanwhile, as politicians in washington debate endlessly about whether to act, our own military has determined we can no longer afford not to. some in the press may be wondering why we are announcing offshore drilling in a hangar at andrews air force base. if there is any doubt about the leadership that our military is showing, you need to look at this f 18 fighter and the light armored vehicle behind me. the army and marine corps have been testing this vehicle on a mixture of biofuels. this navy fighter jet, appropriately called "the green hornet" will be flown for the first time in just a few days on earth day. if tests go as