UPDATE #2: Oval Office Address
Sam Stein over at the Huffington Post has outlined the points President Obama will be touching on in his first speech from the Oval Office on the BP oil leak in the Gulf of Mexico.
Before we get to his reporting from an unnamed source in the White House, Press Secretary Robert Gibbs appeared on the Today Show this morning also previewing some of the topics being worked on behind the scenes. He revealed what was already rumored, that the President asked BP to set up an escrow account of at least $20 billion to make sure that the company can and does pay out liability claims to those affected by the oil leak. It has even been rumored this morning that the United States government may seize and take over the claims process because of the simmering anger in the Gulf states over the loss of livelihoods.
Watch Gibbs on the Today Show below:
Among the topics to be covered in the speech tonight will be the actions taken to fix the regulatory system at the MMS and the greater Interior Department, the cleanup efforts, the liability claims process, restoring the Gulf, and finally a push for a major investment in green energy technology and jobs to ween off oil.
Originally, the administration's plan was to pass health reform, then financial reform (this effort could be completed as early as July 4th, perhaps after the holiday), followed by a push for a green energy bill with a monetary value on carbon emissions. However, the push for a green energy bill with a carbon trading system was derailed when Arizona passed its controversial immigration law which propelled immigration reform to the forefront of the national debate. The belief now is that the ongoing oil leak has aligned the powers that be and public sentiment, to attempt a green energy bill (perhaps without a carbon market in place) before the November midterm elections which is expected to greatly weaken the record Democratic majority in the House.
We'll bring you the speech live tonight at 8pm Eastern.
UPDATE: Watch the live address below:
UPDATE #2: President Barack Obama made his first national address from the oval office. The address focused on the the BP oil spill in the Gulf, but also on the future energy policy of the United States.
The President expressed his condolences to the families of those killed on the Deepwater Horizon rig and assured the residence of the Gulf region who risk losing a way of life that he wouldn't let that happen. He pledged that he would order BP to set aside enough funds to pay all legitimate claims in a timely manner and take care of long term cleanup costs, although no ballpark figure was given. He added that the long term cleanup plan to be funded by BP would be crafted by the states, regions, parishes, and industries affected by the spill such as the fisheries.
There had been some anticipation that the President would push hard for the passage of the green energy bill, but it was a rather muted push. Environmentalists will be disappointed that offshore drilling will continue to be a source of jobs and energy as the country makes the slow push towards a greener, higher tech energy sector, but for now the practical answer is investment in new industries while we force the old to get safer. However, he did promise an overhaul of the Minerals Management Service, attacking what he called a failed experiment of deregulation from the last administration.
In any event, watch the address below:
Before we get to his reporting from an unnamed source in the White House, Press Secretary Robert Gibbs appeared on the Today Show this morning also previewing some of the topics being worked on behind the scenes. He revealed what was already rumored, that the President asked BP to set up an escrow account of at least $20 billion to make sure that the company can and does pay out liability claims to those affected by the oil leak. It has even been rumored this morning that the United States government may seize and take over the claims process because of the simmering anger in the Gulf states over the loss of livelihoods.
Watch Gibbs on the Today Show below:
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Among the topics to be covered in the speech tonight will be the actions taken to fix the regulatory system at the MMS and the greater Interior Department, the cleanup efforts, the liability claims process, restoring the Gulf, and finally a push for a major investment in green energy technology and jobs to ween off oil.
Originally, the administration's plan was to pass health reform, then financial reform (this effort could be completed as early as July 4th, perhaps after the holiday), followed by a push for a green energy bill with a monetary value on carbon emissions. However, the push for a green energy bill with a carbon trading system was derailed when Arizona passed its controversial immigration law which propelled immigration reform to the forefront of the national debate. The belief now is that the ongoing oil leak has aligned the powers that be and public sentiment, to attempt a green energy bill (perhaps without a carbon market in place) before the November midterm elections which is expected to greatly weaken the record Democratic majority in the House.
We'll bring you the speech live tonight at 8pm Eastern.
UPDATE: Watch the live address below:
UPDATE #2: President Barack Obama made his first national address from the oval office. The address focused on the the BP oil spill in the Gulf, but also on the future energy policy of the United States.
The President expressed his condolences to the families of those killed on the Deepwater Horizon rig and assured the residence of the Gulf region who risk losing a way of life that he wouldn't let that happen. He pledged that he would order BP to set aside enough funds to pay all legitimate claims in a timely manner and take care of long term cleanup costs, although no ballpark figure was given. He added that the long term cleanup plan to be funded by BP would be crafted by the states, regions, parishes, and industries affected by the spill such as the fisheries.
There had been some anticipation that the President would push hard for the passage of the green energy bill, but it was a rather muted push. Environmentalists will be disappointed that offshore drilling will continue to be a source of jobs and energy as the country makes the slow push towards a greener, higher tech energy sector, but for now the practical answer is investment in new industries while we force the old to get safer. However, he did promise an overhaul of the Minerals Management Service, attacking what he called a failed experiment of deregulation from the last administration.
In any event, watch the address below:
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