What President Obama Will Say About Natural Gas Drilling During The State Of The Union

Shale gas will get shout-out during President Obama’s State of the Union Address tonight. Here’s what Obama will say about natural gas drilling, according to prepared remarks released by the White House:

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.

Some immediate questions:

• How will environmental advocates react to what looks like a clear embrace of natural gas drilling and hydraulic fracturing?
• Will the president’s support for gas extraction translate to a federal “yes” vote on the Delaware River Basin Commission’s stalled drilling regulations?

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