USDA as 21st century DoE: New website and new web-based tools, including a Renewable Energy Investment Map and an Energy Matrix...UPDATED with President's SOTU remarks on energy
In tonight's State of the Union Address, President Obama will call for “a new era for American energy strategy, fueled by home-grown and alternative energy,” according to White House sources. That includes biofuels and other renewable, green energy projects to ensure a "secure energy future," to create jobs and reduce dependency on foreign oil. Ahead of the President's speech, the US Department of Agriculture has just launched a new energy website to serve as a clearing house for funding and other USDA energy resources, at www.USDA.gov/energy.
USDA's new site is designed to be a "one-stop shop for data about energy efficiency and renewable energy programs at USDA," according to Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack.
"The website provides access to all USDA energy resources, including agricultural, forestry, economic, and social data. A set of new web-based tools, including a Renewable Energy Investment Map and an Energy Matrix, focus on USDA’s investments and projects, providing information to a broad spectrum of stakeholders," Vilsack said.
The site is supposed to make it easy to navigate USDA’s many energy resources, and also provides links to find energy experts in USDA’s state and local offices, and to the White House. Download USDA's Advancing Renewable Energy brochure [PDF] for an overview of USDA's energy related programs.
One of the 23 guests in First Lady Michelle Obama's Box for the President's Address this evening is Julián Castro, the Mayor of San Antonio, Texas. Castro was invited because he's just announced that CPS Energy, a municipally-owned utility, has entered negotiations to bring at least 800 jobs and $100 million in capital investment to San Antonio. "This is expected to be one of the nation’s largest solar projects resulting in 400 megawatts of zero-emissions solar energy," according to the White House.
President Obama embarks on a five-state tour on Wednesday to discuss his Address. His remarks during stops in Colorado and Nevada will focus on energy development, according to the Whit House. The full schedule.
UPDATE, 10:00 PM: President Obama's SOTU remarks on energy:
The President announced that the Department of Defense, "the world’s largest consumer of energy," will make "one of the largest commitments to clean energy in history – with the Navy purchasing enough capacity to power a quarter of a million homes a year."
The President's full remarks on energy:
"Nowhere is the promise of innovation greater than in American-made energy. Over the last three years, we’ve opened millions of new acres for oil and gas exploration, and tonight, I’m directing my Administration to open more than 75 percent of our potential offshore oil and gas resources. Right now, American oil production is the highest that it’s been in eight years. That’s right – eight years. Not only that – last year, we relied less on foreign oil than in any of the past sixteen years.
But with only 2 percent of the world’s oil reserves, oil isn’t enough. This country needs an all-out, all-of-the-above strategy that develops every available source of American energy – a strategy that’s cleaner, cheaper, and full of new jobs.
We have a supply of natural gas that can last America nearly one hundred years, and my Administration will take every possible action to safely develop this energy. Experts believe this will support more than 600,000 jobs by the end of the decade. And I’m requiring all companies that drill for gas on public lands to disclose the chemicals they use. America will develop this resource without putting the health and safety of our citizens at risk.
The development of natural gas will create jobs and power trucks and factories that are cleaner and cheaper, proving that we don’t have to choose between our environment and our economy. And by the way, it was public research dollars, over the course of thirty years, that helped develop the technologies to extract all this natural gas out of shale rock – reminding us that Government support is critical in helping businesses get new energy ideas off the ground.
What’s true for natural gas is true for clean energy. In three years, our partnership with the private sector has already positioned America to be the world’s leading manufacturer of high-tech batteries. Because of federal investments, renewable energy use has nearly doubled. And thousands of Americans have jobs because of it.
When Bryan Ritterby was laid off from his job making furniture, he said he worried that at 55, no one would give him a second chance. But he found work at Energetx, a wind turbine manufacturer in Michigan. Before the recession, the factory only made luxury yachts. Today, it’s hiring workers like Bryan, who said, “I’m proud to be working in the industry of the future.”
Our experience with shale gas shows us that the payoffs on these public investments don’t always come right away. Some technologies don’t pan out; some companies fail. But I will not walk away from the promise of clean energy. I will not walk away from workers like Bryan. I will not cede the wind or solar or battery industry to China or Germany because we refuse to make the same commitment here. We have subsidized oil companies for a century. That’s long enough. It’s time to end the taxpayer giveaways to an industry that’s rarely been more profitable, and double-down on a clean energy industry that’s never been more promising. Pass clean energy tax credits and create these jobs.
We can also spur energy innovation with new incentives. The differences in this chamber may be too deep right now to pass a comprehensive plan to fight climate change. But there’s no reason why Congress shouldn’t at least set a clean energy standard that creates a market for innovation. So far, you haven’t acted. Well tonight, I will. I’m directing my Administration to allow the development of clean energy on enough public land to power three million homes. And I’m proud to announce that the Department of Defense, the world’s largest consumer of energy, will make one of the largest commitments to clean energy in history – with the Navy purchasing enough capacity to power a quarter of a million homes a year.
Of course, the easiest way to save money is to waste less energy. So here’s another proposal: Help manufacturers eliminate energy waste in their factories and give businesses incentives to upgrade their buildings. Their energy bills will be $100 billion lower over the next decade, and America will have less pollution, more manufacturing, and more jobs for construction workers who need them. Send me a bill that creates these jobs.
Building this new energy future should be just one part of a broader agenda to repair America’s infrastructure. So much of America needs to be rebuilt. We’ve got crumbling roads and bridges. A power grid that wastes too much energy. An incomplete high-speed broadband network that prevents a small business owner in rural America from selling her products all over the world. "
From USDA's new site:
Energy Investments Map
The Energy Investments Map is an interactive map to help users understand where USDA is providing investment support for renewable and sustainable energy initiatives across the United States. Research what's going on in your State or County.
USDA Energy Matrix
The Energy Matrix is a Navigational Aide. USDA's energy related programs are large in scope, and extends among many USDA agencies and mission areas. If you are searching for alternative and affordable energy solutions, funding for projects, available programs and program information, or research and development - we are here to assist you. The Energy Matrix is USDA's one-stop-shopping matrix serving the public, private businesses and the government.
The Renewable Energy Tool
The Renewable Energy Tool is an interactive tool to help users identify at the National, state, and county level the logistics, environmental linkages, and economic linkages across feedstock production, renewable energy production and renewable energy demand and distribution.
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