"President Obama urged the nation Tuesday to rally behind legislation that would begin changing the way the country consumes and generates energy, saying the expanding oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico is 'the most painful and powerful reminder yet that the time to embrace a clean energy future is now.'
In his first Oval Office address, Obama compared the need to end the country's 'addiction to fossil fuels' to its emergency preparations for World War II and the mission to the moon. Hours after the government sharply increased its estimate of how much oil is flowing into the gulf, the president warned that risks will continue to rise because "we're running out of places to drill on land and in shallow water." He called for fast Senate action on an energy bill that has already passed the House."
Scott Wilson and Anne E. Kornblut report for the Washington Post June 16, 2010.
See Also:
Analysis: "With Call to Arms, Obama Seeks to Shift Arc of Oil Crisis" (New York Times)
"Barack Obama Calls for Gulf Coast Restoration Plan Funded by BP" (AP)
"In Oval Office Speech, Obama Puts Focus on Energy Policy" (New York Times)
Full Text "Obama's Oval Office Address on the Gulf Oil Spill" (CQ/AP)
"FACT CHECK: Obama Inflates Hopes in Spill Recovery" (AP)
"GOP Chairman Says Obama Is Exploiting Gulf Crisis" (AP)
"Obama Calls for Action on 'Clean' Energy" (AP)
"Obama: Americans Praying for People of Gulf" (AP)
"History Behind Choice of Venue for Speech" (New York Times)
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