Obama Calls for One-Third Cut in US Oil Imports

     President Barack Obama on Wednesday called for the United States to cut its imports of oil by one-third by 2025.  That is one of several goals in the president's national energy policy.

    President Obama went to Washington's Georgetown University to outline what he calls a "Blueprint(蓝图) for a Secure Energy Future."The president said his goal of slashing¹ oil imports is reasonable, achievable and necessary for protecting U.S. economic security.

    "When I was elected to this office, America imported 11 million barrels of oil a day," said Obama.  "By a little more than a decade from now, we will have cut that by one-third."Obama said two conditions must be met to reach that goal.

    "Meeting the goal of cutting our oil dependence² depends largely on two things.  First, finding and producing more oil at home," he added.  "Second, reducing our overall dependence on oil with cleaner alternative fuels and greater efficiency."The president responded to critics who say his administration is not doing enough to encourage domestic oil production.  He said production must be increased, but with the lessons of last year's massive Gulf³ of Mexico oil spill in mind.

    "We are also exploring and assessing new frontiers for oil and gas development - from Alaska to the Mid- and South Atlantic states because producing more oil in America can help lower oil prices, can help create jobs and can enhance our energy security," Obama added.  "But we have got to do it in the right way."Mr. Obama is looking for ways to stimulate⁴ the production and use of natural gas as an alternative to oil.

    The president also wants to encourage the use of biofuels, including ethanol, switchgrass, wood chips and biomass.  He said the U.S. Air Force is working to obtain half of its domestic jet fuel from alternative sources by 2016.

    In addition, Mr. Obama is calling on American automakers to build more fuel-efficient cars and trucks, including those that run on electricity.  During his first year in office, he set a goal to have 1 million electric vehicles on U.S. roads by 2015.

    In his State of the Union address in January, the president called for doubling the percentage of U.S. electricity that comes from clean energy sources to 80 percent by 2035.

    Despite the nuclear power plant disaster in Japan, Mr. Obama said atomic energy has important potential for generating electricity without adding carbon dioxide to the atmosphere.  He has asked the Nuclear Regulatory Commission to make sure that all existing U.S. nuclear plants are safe.

    "And we are going to incorporate those conclusions and lessons from Japan in the design and the building of the next generation of plants.  But we cannot simply take it off the table," Obama noted⁵.

    As Congress continues to debate this year's government budget, the president warned that other areas must be cut to pay for federal incentives⁶ to advance his energy program.（本文由在线英语听力室整理编辑）

1 slashing   

adj.尖锐的；苛刻的；鲜明的；乱砍的v.挥砍( slash的现在分词 )；鞭打；割破；削减

参考例句：

• Slashing is the first process in which liquid treatment is involved. 浆纱是液处理的第一过程。 来自辞典例句
• He stopped slashing his horse. 他住了手，不去鞭打他的马了。 来自辞典例句

2 dependence   

n.依靠，依赖；信任，信赖；隶属

参考例句：

• Doctors keep trying to break her dependence of the drug.医生们尽力使她戒除毒瘾。
• He was freed from financial dependence on his parents.他在经济上摆脱了对父母的依赖。

3 gulf   

n.海湾；深渊，鸿沟；分歧，隔阂

参考例句：

• The gulf between the two leaders cannot be bridged.两位领导人之间的鸿沟难以跨越。
• There is a gulf between the two cities.这两座城市间有个海湾。

4 stimulate   

vt.刺激，使兴奋；激励，使…振奋

参考例句：

• Your encouragement will stimulate me to further efforts.你的鼓励会激发我进一步努力。
• Success will stimulate the people for fresh efforts.成功能鼓舞人们去作新的努力。

5 noted   

adj.著名的，知名的

参考例句：

• The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
• Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。

6 incentives   

激励某人做某事的事物( incentive的名词复数 )； 刺激； 诱因； 动机

参考例句：

• tax incentives to encourage savings 鼓励储蓄的税收措施
• Furthermore, subsidies provide incentives only for investments in equipment. 更有甚者，提供津贴仅是为鼓励增添设备的投资。 来自英汉非文学 - 环境法 - 环境法