Test your BS meter with this one question quiz:
Which part ofObama’s State of the Union was written by the oil industry?
a) America is closer to energy independence than weve been in decades
b) natural gas if extracted safely, its the bridge fuel that can power our economy with less of the carbon pollution that causes climate change.
c) fracking for oil and gas can be “sustainable”
d) all of the above
The answer isliterally, “all of the above.”
During his State of The Union speech, President Obama said:
“The all-of-the-above energy strategy I announced a few years ago is working, and today, America is closer to energy independence than weve been in decades.”
The phrase all of the above, which the president used in his 2012State of the Union address as well, is the creation of the oil industrys most powerful lobbying and public relations arm, the American Petroleum Institute (API). According to the New York Times, the phrase was introduced in 2000 by API to advocate for oil drilling. APIs position at the time was that an effective national energy policy must, at a minimum, allow for all of the above. API, proud of the hegemony of their ideas, actually predicted the president would champion the pro-fossil fuel message in this most recent State of the Union address, the day before the speech was given.
After The American Petroleum Institute debuted the phrase in 2000, it was quickly picked up by republicans with wells to drill. John Mccain made it a central part of his 2008 campaign for president. Republicans in the house and senate used it to promote offshore drilling.The former governor of Virginia, Bob McDonnell, now under federal indictment for corruption, listed the phrase on his campaign website.
ExxonMobil, the most profitable corporation in world history, continues to use the phrase in advertisements today.
ExxonMobil advertisement touting “all of the above”
This isn’t just etymological trivia.The use of oil industry talking points by the president indicates how ingrained and powerful the fossil fuel industry is in the U.Ss energy conversation.
It also casts a revealing light on other pro-fossil energy comments made by President Obama in the speech, like promoting Energy Independence. The idea is, if we allow oil and gas corporations to exploit our land and water to extract fossil fuels, it will benefit the average citizen by lowering energy prices and reducing dependence of foreign energy supplies. This is completely false, asRex Tillerson, CEO of Exxon Mobilwill tell you. The oil industry wants to sell it’s product on an open market, to the highest bidder, no matter who that is. Currently there are plans for 25 Liquified Natural Gas export terminals in the US, and the American Petroleum Institute is spending millions of dollars to undo a decades old law that prohibits the export of crude oil. As more oil and gas is drilled from American soil and water, more gas and oil will be exported. We will continue to import oil and other goods from around the world, regardless of how much drilling happens in the U.S.
Another energy myth promoted by the Obama administration and the fossil fuel industry is natural gas as a bridge fuel to renewable energy.
The truth is that gas is primarily comprised of methane, an extremely powerful greenhouse gas. Some scientists believe that methane could be up to 105 times as destabilizing to the global climate as carbon dioxide. When fully burned, gas releases less CO2 than coal or oil, but currently huge amounts of methane are escaping unburned into the atmosphere. An increase in spending on gas infrastructure, like pipelines, Liquified Natural Gas export terminals, or vehicle refueling stations, is not a bridge to renewable energy. It is the same old fossil fuel infrastructure that poses serious threats to the earths climate and local environments. The U.S doesnt need more spending on fossil fuels, it needs a real commitment to renewable energy, efficiency, and cutting carbon pollution.
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