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15 March 2012 Obama Defends Energy Policy, Hitting Back at Presidential Candidates

On Thursday President Obama announced that he believes that he can do more slow the rapidly increasing gasoline prices. Many of his speeches in the past few weeks have been about his administration’s energy policy. He promoted his history of increased oil production, better fuel efficiency standards, and investing in new, cleaner sources of energy. Yesterday Obama criticized his Republican challengers, saying that they showed a large amount of ignorance. He particularly rebutted Newt Gingrich, who promised to lower gas prices, and mocked Obama’s idea of making algae into fuel (LANDLER). One of the reasons for his focusing on his opponents is because he himself claimed that he cannot do much about the gas prices either. In Maryland, the average price per gallon is $3.86, which is 6 cents higher than the national average and 16 cents higher than it was a week ago. Polls are saying that Obama is being hurt by these gas prices, with his approval rating going down 9% in a month (LANDLER). For critics that think the oil problem can be solved with more drilling, Obama has opened may areas for drilling, including an area in the Gulf of Mexico that could produce 400 million barrels of oil. The U.S. consumes about 44% of the world’s gasoline (Gasoline). The average American spends between $1,300 and $1,600 a year on gas (Cole). Americans that drive would obviously want lower gas prices. Therefore, the candidates’ gas policies will probably have an impact on the election. Whatever candidate promises the lowest gas prices will most likely have an advantage. Obama’s biggest economic problem right now is gas prices. Polls have shown that people are concerned about rising gas prices, and Obama’s rating has decreased as prices increase. After all, voters see gas prices up on signs every day as they drive to and from work. This is also relevant because of the environment. Gasoline causes a lot of environmental damage, and finding new cleaner fuels is a big controversy right now. Obama’s ideas for new fuels could definitely help if they turn out successful. Gas prices play a large part in the economy, which is going to be very important in the upcoming campaigns. This is shown by many recent polls, that people want lower gas prices. I definitely think that whichever candidate comes up with the best plan for gas prices and the economy will have an advantage. If prices continue going up like they are now, I think that will likely hurt Obama’s chances in the election, but if they are changed it would help him. It remains to be seen which way the changes in energy policies will go, but changes do need to be made soon. 1. Should Obama’s energy policy change; if so, how? 2. What are the other candidate’s policies and are they any better? 3. Would a new source of fuel be good for the U.S. economy? Cole, Richard. "How Much Does the Average American Spend on Gas Each Year?" //EHow//. Demand Media, 28 July 2009. Web. 15 Mar. 2012. .
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"Gasoline." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 15 Mar. 2012. Web. 15 Mar. 2012. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gasoline>.

<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 16px;">LANDLER, MARK. "Obama Defends Energy Policy, Hitting Back at Presidential Candidates." //The New York Times//. The New York Times, 15 Mar. 2012. Web. 15 Mar. 2012. <http://www.nytimes.com/2012/03/16/us/politics/obama-defends-energy-policy.html?ref=politics>.