President Joe Biden sparked a heated debate in energy circles during his State of the Union address on Tuesday. The president, who touted a landmark law aimed at slowing climate change, made an off-the-cuff remark that the United States will need oil “for at least another decade”. This statement elicited mixed reactions from lawmakers, with Republicans in the House chamber laughing in derision and accusing Biden of refusing to accept reality, while some Democrats and environmentalists supported the president’s stance.
Biden’s comments came as he signed a bill last year, supported only by Democrats, that authorizes billions of dollars towards boosting renewable energy and helping consumers adopt environmentally-friendly practices. The bill is a crucial aspect of the president’s plan to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 50% by 2030 and achieve net-zero emissions by 2050. However, energy experts have stated that phasing out oil within a decade is virtually impossible.
Energy analyst Kevin Book said, “We rely on oil and gas for 85 to 90 percent of transportation energy. Electric vehicles, while growing in popularity, represent less than 6% of new U.S. car sales.” The U.S. Energy Information Administration also projects that petroleum and natural gas will remain the country’s primary energy sources in the next few decades, despite the rapid growth of renewables such as wind and solar power.
The White House has clarified that Biden’s comments were in line with previous statements made by the president and his administration, acknowledging that the country is in the midst of an energy transition and will continue to need oil for the foreseeable future. Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm has said, “Fossil fuels will remain in the mix of the energy system of the globe for years to come.”
President Biden’s message to the oil industry – “Stay in business, we need you today” – was deemed the right one by Kevin Book, though he added that the units were off, as the president gave a ten-year life expectancy to fifty-year assets. However, the president’s stance was criticized by the American Petroleum Institute, with President Mike Sommers stating that Biden “could have used his State of the Union address to unite America.”
On the other hand, Ben Jealous, the executive director of the Sierra Club, stated that extending the lifespan of fossil fuel infrastructure and increasing oil and gas production would only worsen the climate crisis and further pad the profits of energy companies. Jealous said, “What we need is doubling down on our investments to equitably transition off of the fuels of the past and to clean energy.”
President Biden’s comments on oil usage during the State of the Union address have sparked a debate that cuts across political and ideological lines. While some see the president’s goal as unrealistic, others support the transition to clean energy and believe that the country must work towards a sustainable future.