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President Obama was slated to speak on reducing oil imports and increasing domestic energy production at Georgetown University this morning. In addition to a spiel about reducing dependence on foreign oil – and looking for more of that oil here at home – there were some points of interest to the renewable energy industry here in Oregon:

• The Obama Administration set a goal of breaking ground on at least four commercial-scale cellulosic or advanced bio-fuel refineries over the next two years, and will look to update  biofuel incentives.
• Commercial truck, van and bus fuel standards for 2014-2018 models will be finalized in July. Standards for consumer cars built in 2012-2016 are already in place.
• In Obama’s proposed budget: $7,500 proposed tax credit for consumers and competitive grants for communities to encourage electric vehicle use. The president’s budget also includes funding for R&D in battery technology – all part of the administration’s goal of putting 1 million electric vehicles on the road by 2015.
• Obama called for all new federal government vehicles to be powered by alternative fuel (including hybrid or electric cars) by 2015. The federal fleet includes more than 600,000 vehicles.

Much of that is good news for Oregon’s renewable energy sector, which is currently a little shaken by state-level budget cuts and some critical examination of the Business Energy Tax Credit.

Oregon is uniquely situated to take advantage of some of the biofuel emphasis, as the second state (after California) with a low-carbon fuel standard in process. DEQ officials say that implementing the fuel standard could boost economic development in the state, and federal support couldn’t hurt.