Which Approach is the Right One, Obama?

       There seems to be many different approaches when it comes to reducing our country's reliance on fossil fuels as our source of energy. President Obama will propose ending the annual $4 billion in oil company subsidies, however when looking more in-depth into his proposal, it seems that we would be substituting one fossil fuel for another. Obama's policies support and encourage the switch from coal to cleaner-burning natural gas, and spending enormous amounts of money in developing technology that captures carbon dioxide emissions from oil refineries and coal plants. In other words, we would still be encouraging our reliance in fossil fuels by supporting the expansion of the natural gas industry, as well as the oil and coal industries, if a carbon capturer was created. Indeed, President Obama is also supporting alternative sources of energy such as wind and solar with a fifty percent increase in reserch spending for these, yet with heaving lobbying and a history of reliance it seems to me very difficult that President Obama will be successful in continuing with his proposed plan.

       Furthermore, as the country recuperates from the economic recession many people believe, as Jack Gerard, president of the American Petroleum Institute, that "if the president were serious about job creation, he would be working with us to develop American oil and gas by American workers for American consumers". Many believe that by ending the subsidies and tax breaks for oil companies, unemployment will soon follow. Yet they have ignored that by expanding alternative sources of energy, more jobs can also be created. The reality is that these industries, based on fossil fuels, have an enormous advantage over alternative sources of energy. Although some people propose putting a a price to carbon emissions or ending all subsidies to create an equal ground for all industries, I believe that if the government seriously wants to consider doubling the amount of electricity produced from cleaner technology by 2035, about 15 years from now, it should support the expansion and development of alternative sources of energy such as wind and solar energy.