Barack Obama

“ Today there are two kinds of car companies, those who make fuel efficient cars and those that will. We can't follow the world anymore, we have to lead. And if we don't act now, the economic and societal benefits that have always been the hallmark of American innovation will find a home somewhere else. ”

“ And the fact of the matter is that even if we are willing to fight wars, it's not clear that we can control the world oil market, despite being the world's sole superpower. We have national security interests as well as economic interests in making sure we are energy independent. And that's why I'm interested in making certain that as we move forward from the immediate aftermath of Katrina, that we use this as an opportunity to reflect on the steps that we could be taking immediately to reduce our dependence on foreign oil. ”

“ It also means that we'll need to invest in the clean technology that will allow us to burn more coal, our countries most abundant fossil fuel, and it means that we should continue to encourage the use of renewable fuels by insisting that they make up 20 percent of our energy use and make sure every car in America has a flexible fuel tank by 2010. But we need to do more than that. We are going to have to find solutions that strike at the very heart of our dependence on oil. The largest consumer of oil in this country are the cars we drive. ”

“ Brazil, a nation that once relied on foreign countries to import 80 percent of its crude oil, will now be entirely self-sufficient in a few years because they've invested in bio-fuels. By getting more ethanol in the market and equipping their cars with the flexible fuel tanks that allow them to run on this fuel, Brazil succeeded in securing its energy supply while still giving consumers a break at the pump. ”

“ But, to help our auto industry make the transition, we'll pay for part of the biggest cost they face a year, retiree health care. If we strike a bargain like that not only are we going to put our car makers on sound footing, but we're also going to be able to secure our energy future for years to come. ”

“ The fact of the matter is that our automakers are burdened by huge health care costs. It is hard for them to compete and revamp and retool in order to compete with Japanese automakers.
But, the fact is we don't have a choice. China now has higher fuel economy standards than we do and it's got 200,000 hybrids on its roads. ”

“ It's going to take time, but the technology already exists for us to take the basic first steps. The energy bill we just passed in Washington takes a few small steps in the right direction by investing in renewable homegrown bio-fuels that could turn out to be some of the most promising alternatives to oil. ”

“ It also requires that the General Accounting Office, the GAO, a bi-partisan organization set up by Congress, audits and reviews how money is spent. As I said, the American people want to make sure that our money is spent properly on Hurricane relief and not simply making contractors wealthy. ”