Persistence is key on energy
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}For the third day in a row since the House of Representatives passed a landmark climate and energy bill, President Obama continued to press the Senate to do the same and took the opportunity to announce new efficiency standards for lighting.
"In the months to come, the Senate will take up it's version of the energy," noted Mr. Obama Monday at the White House. "And I am confident that they too will choose to move this country forward."
The House passed the bill on Friday night with a 219-212 vote.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Mr. Obama echoed a sentiment he shared with a select group of energy reporters on Sunday that in the few months of his presidency, he has already begun to move the country away from dependence on foreign oil, "than at any time in several decades."
It was in that same reporter roundtable that Mr. Obama expressed his optimism that the Senate would take up the energy bill before the year is out. "[The Senate is] not going to have a bill that's identical to the House bill. This will end up in conference and there are going to be a series of tough negotiations. But I think the ability of the House to move forward is going to be a prod for the Senate towards action," Mr. Obama told the reporters.
But it was in his weekly video address Saturday that Mr. Obama challenged the Senate a little more forcefully. "We cannot be afraid of the future. And we must not be prisoners of the past," said the president. "Don't believe the misinformation out there that suggests there is somehow a contradiction between investing in clean energy and economic growth. It's just not true."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Tuesday, Mr. Obama sought to further advance his energy agenda by announcing an effort to determine new efficiency standards for fluorescent and incandescent lighting. Noting that seven percent of all energy is consumed by homes and businesses, Mr. Obama said new standards could save consumers $4billion a year. Energy Secretary Steven Chu is tasked with coming up with the new standards.
"Progress like this might seem far fetched," said Mr. Obama, "but the fact