Campaign Promises

Departments -> Energy -> Energy Consumption


ItemEnergy
Energy ConsumptionGrade
EN-6 The Promise: "Half of all cars purchased by the federal government will be plug-in hybrids or all-electric by 2012."
When/Where: Obama-Biden Plan: "New Energy for America" dated 09/06/08.
Source: http://energy.gov/sites/prod/files/edg/media/Obama_New_Energy_0804.pdf
Status:E.O. 13423, signed by President George W. Bush on 01/24/07, required federal agencies to use plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) when commercially available at a cost reasonably comparable to non-PHEVs. This E.O. was superceded by E.O. 13693, issued by President Obama on 03/19/15.

The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) of 2009 signed into law on 02/17/09 included $300 million to buy more high efficiency motor vehicles for the federal fleet, including hybrids, hybrid plug-ins and all-electric cars.

Executive Order 13514 dated 10/05/09 established policy for federal fleet vehicles to reduce the use of fossil fuels by using low greenhouse gas emitting vehicles including alternative fuel vehicles (i.e. electric fueled vehicles, hybrid electric vehicles, plug-in hybrid vehicles, etc.).

Based on the most recent data available from the General Services Administration (GSA) Federal Fleet Report as of end-FY2012, the federal government (civilian agencies, military and Postal Service) operated just over 650K vehicles worldwide. Of these, 234K were acquired by the Federal Government during the timeframe CY2009-CY2012. The total acquisition breakout by fuel type was as follows during this timeframe:
Gasoline - 94,774
Diesel - 17,683
Gasoline Hybrid - 13,853
Diesel Hybrid - 117
Gasoline Low Greenhouse Gas (LGHG) - 1,346
Diesel LGHG - 24
Gasoline Plug-In Hybrid - 150
Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) - 327
E-85 (85 percent ethanol, 15 percent gasoline) - 103,638
Electric - 2,091
Hydrogen - 9
Liquid Petroleum Gas (LPG) - 51

Total: 234,063

Total Plug-In Hybrid and Electric: 2,241 or less than 1%

Total Inventory of Passenger Vehicles ("cars") as of end-FY2012: 115,451.

Assuming that most Plug-In Hybrid and Electric vehicles acquired during the CY2009-CY2012 timeframe were Passenger Vehicles, the percentage remains less than 1% for the timeframe established by President Obama.

This promise was not fulfilled.
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EN-7 The Promise: "...will implement legislation that phases out traditional incandescent light bulbs by 2014. This measure alone will save American consumers $6 billion per year on monthly electricity bills..."
When/Where: Barack Obama's "Plan to Make America a Global Energy Leader" dated 10/18/07
Source: https://grist.org/article/obama-energy-fact-sheet/
Status:The Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 contained legislation to make incandescent light bulbs more efficient by setting maximum wattage requirements for all general service incandescent light bulbs producing 310-2600 lumens of light. Exempt were several classes of specialty lights, including appliance lamps, rough service bulbs, 3-way, colored lamps, stage lighting, plant lights, candelabra lights under 60 watts, outdoor post lights less than 100 watts, nightlights and shatter resistant bulbs. This law effectively banned the manufacturing or importing of most incandescent bulbs.

The major U.S. producer of standard incandescent light bulbs, General Electric, shut its last production facility in Winchester, VA in 09/10. The leading replacement light bulbs, compact fluorescents (CFLs), are mainly produced in China.

President Obama announced new "standards" for incandescent light bulbs on 06/29/09. In response to these new standards, Sylvania and other light bulb manufacturers introduced new incandescent light bulbs that met the standards.

The Republican-led House failed to obtain a two-thirds majority vote on 07/12/11 to overturn the above standards. The standards went into effect in CY2012 with the phase-out of 100-watt traditional incandescent light bulbs.

The production of 75-watt traditional incandescent light bulbs ceased in CY2013, followed by 40- and 60-watt traditional incandescent light bulbs in CY2014.

This promise has been fulfilled.
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EN-8 The Promise: "Will create a competitive grant program to award those states and localities that take the first steps in implementing new building codes that prioritize energy efficiency, and provide a federal match for those states with leading-edge public benefits funds that support energy efficiency retrofits of existing buildings."
When/Where: Obama-Biden Plan: To Combat Climate Change and Create a Green Economy" dated 02/07/08.
Source: https://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/promises/obameter/promise/498/provide-grants-to-encourage-energy-efficient-build/
Status:Source is cited for confirmation of exact promise wording only, as it existed before original "When/Where" campaign document was deleted from archival websites.

The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) of 2009 signed into law by President Obama on 02/17/09 provided $3.2B in initial grants to fund the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant (EECBG) Program administered by the Department of Energy's Office of Weatherization and Intergovernmental Programs (WIP). Of that amount, $454M was allocated to competitive grants for building energy audit and retrofits, as well as building code development, implementation and inspections.

The first grants were awarded to 9 cities and 10 counties on 07/24/09.

However, this competitive grant program was first authorized under the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007, signed into law by President Bush on 12/19/07. There was no need for President Obama to "create" this competitive grant program.

This promise was not fulfilled.
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EN-9 The Promise: "Will make a national commitment to weatherize at least 1 million low-income homes each year for the next decade, which can reduce energy usage across the economy and help moderate energy prices for all"
When/Where: Obama-Biden Plan: "New Energy for America" dated 09/06/08.
Source: https://www.energy.gov/sites/prod/files/edg/media/Obama_New_Energy_0804.pdf
Status:The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) of 2009 signed into law by President Obama on 02/17/09 included $5B to expand the Weatherization Assistance Program (WAP). Of that amount, $4.746B was earmarked for low-income home weatherization, $90M for Sustainable Energy Resources for Consumers (SERC) Grants, and $29M for WAP training centers.

Under ARRA funding, the Department of Energy (DOE) reported that more than 806K homes had been weatherized over the period CY2010-CY2012.

In recent years, the WAP targets for the number of low-income homes to be weatherized was as follows:
FY2014: 24,600. This target was exceeded. 38,000 homes were weatherized.
FY2015: 30,000 homes
FY2016: 33,000 homes
FY2017: 35,000 homes

Restated, this promise was to weatherize 1M low-income homes "each year for the next decade."

This promise was not fulfilled.
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EN-10 The Promise: "...we will get one million 150 mile-per-gallon plug-in hybrids on our roads within six years..."
When/Where: Obama Campaign Speech, Lansing, MI, dated 08/04/08, as reported in the New York Times with credit to CQ Transcriptions, Inc.
Source: http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/04/us/politics/04text-obama.html?pagewanted=all
Status:None of the statistics studied supported the concept that PHEVs would be capable of attaining 150 Miles Per Gallon (MPG) by CY2015, six years after President Obama first assumed the presidency. In CY2016, for example, some of the more popular PHEVs were rated as follows by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA):
-2016 Chevy Volt: 106 MPGe (combined electric/gas) and 42 MPG (gas only)
-2016 Cadillac ELR Sport: 80 MPGe/30 MPG
-2016 Ford C-Max Energi: 88 MPGe/38 MPG
-2016 Ford Fusion Energi: 88 MPGe/38 MPG
-2016 Toyota Prius: 95 MPGe/50 MPG

While the above are PHEV vehicles, they should not be confused with the all-electric vehicles such as the Chevrolet Bolt, which had an EPA-certified range of 238 miles when it became available in late-CY2016.

According to the EPA, the difference between Miles Per Gallon equivalent (MPGe) and MPG is that MPGe takes into consideration the efficiency of a car when it is running on both gas and battery power, and is intended to give an overall efficiency rating.

During the period CY2009-CY2015, approximately 2.6M PHEVs were sold in the USA, none of which had a 150 mile-per-gallon capability.

This promise was not fulfilled.
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EN-11 The Promise: "Will 'flip' incentives to utility companies by: requiring states to conduct proceedings to implement incentive changes; and offering them targeted technical assistance. These measures will benefit utilities for improving energy efficiency, rather than just from supporting higher energy consumption."
When/Where: Obama-Biden Plan: "New Energy for America" dated 09/06/08.
Source: http://energy.gov/sites/prod/files/edg/media/Obama_New_Energy_0804.pdf
Status:The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 included $3.1 billion for DOE's State Energy Program (SEP). Allocation of this funding depended on whether or not states adopted utility rate "decoupling" and new building codes. Although only half of the states and the District of Columbia had electricity and/or gas decoupling mechanisms in place as of end-CY2010, all 50 states, the District of Columbia and 5 territories benefited from these funds.

With regard to compliance with new building codes, the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) publishes its recommended standards (Standard 90.1) every three years. The Department of Energy (DOE) has one year to decide whether the new standards are more energy efficient than the previous codes. If so, states are required under the Energy Policy Act of 1992 to certify to the DOE that their building energy codes meet the new standards.

The most recent ASHRAE Standard 90.1 for CY2016 was approved by the DOE, after lengthy analysis, in 03/18. The DOE determined that Standard 90.1-2016 would achieve greater energy efficiency in buildings subject to the code and estimated that the following savings would accrue based on ASHRAE Standard 90.1-2016:
8.2% energy cost savings;
7.9% source energy savings; and
6.7% site energy savings.

This promise was fulfilled.
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EN-12 The Promise: "...will increase fuel economy standards 4 percent per year..."
When/Where: Obama-Biden Plan for America: "Blueprint for Change" dated 10/09/08.
Source: https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/550007-barack-obama-2008-blueprint-for-change.html
Status:On 03/27/09, the Obama administration announced the first increase in fuel economy standards for cars in more than 25 years. The move increased fuel economy standards for light vehicles in CY2011 to 27.3 miles per gallon (mpg), or 8% over the CY2010 model year requirement.

On 04/01/10, Transportation Secretary Ray Lahood announced new rules, co-signed with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), setting fuel efficiency standards for model years 2012-2016. The goal was to achieve the equivalent of 35.5 mpg for cars and trucks by CY2016, an increase of nearly 6% per year.

On 11/16/11, the Department of Transportation and the EPA announced new standards for light vehicles for the CY2017-2025 timeframe equivalent to 54.5 mpg, an increase of nearly 5% per year.

This promise was fulfilled.
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EN-13 The Promise: "Within one year of becoming President, the entire White House fleet will be converted to plug-ins as security permits."
When/Where: Obama-Biden Plan: "New Energy for America" dated 09/06/08.
Source: http://energy.gov/sites/prod/files/edg/media/Obama_New_Energy_0804.pdf
Status:Secret Service requirements for vehicle security for the President and members of his Cabinet prevail and no "plug-in" limosine hybrids are likely to ever make it into that part of the White House fleet.

The American Recovery and Reinvestment of 2009 provided $285M for the purchase of about 17,600 commercially available, fuel efficient vehicles for the government fleet. Of that number, 2,500 would be hybrids (but not necessarily "plug-ins"). Non-sensitive White House vehicles would be included in this number.

But the President's campaign promise was to convert the "entire" White House fleet to plug-ins, not hybrids vehicles, "within one year" of taking office. This didn't happen.

This promise was not fulfilled.
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EN-14 The Promise: "...a proposal that alone removes 50 million cars' worth of pollution from the road and reduces our oil consumption 2.5 million barrels a day by 2020."
When/Where: Campaign Speech, Portsmouth, NH, 10/08/07.
Source: https://grist.org/article/obamas-speech/
Status:Enacted by Congress in CY1975, the purpose of the Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) Program is to reduce energy consumption by increasing the fuel economy of cars and light trucks.

On 05/21/10, President Obama released a memorandum with the subject "Improving Energy Security, American Competitiveness and Job Creation, and Environmental Protection through a Transformation of our Nation's Fleet of Cars and Trucks." This memorandum set the stage for the establishment of updated CAFE standards for fuel emissions.

The Department of Transportation (DOT) and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) immediately established the standards for cars and light trucks for CY2011-2016, raising average fuel efficiency by CY2016 to the equivalent of 35.5 Miles Per Gallon (MPG). On 08/28/12, the Obama Administration went further, setting standards to increase fuel economy to the equivalent of 54.5 MPG for cars and light-duty trucks by CY2025.

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), these new standards could improve fuel economy, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, save consumers more than $1.7T at the gas pump, and reduce vehicular oil consumption by 12B barrels. This means U.S. reliance on foreign oil for its vehicles could be significantly reduced and oil consumption could be further reduced by more than 2.4M barrels per day by CY2030.

According to a report issued by the Union of Concerned Scientists, for every gallon of gasoline saved as a result of these standards, 24 pounds of global warming emissions could be avoided (5 pounds for drilling, refining, and distributing gasoline and 19 pounds while burning gasoline during vehicle operation). The CY2017-CY2025 standards, when combined with the first round of standards (CY2011-CY2016), could reduce global warming emissions by 470 million metric tons. Based on this determination, coupled with an EPA estimate that the average amount of carbon dioxide emitted per passenger vehicle is 4.75 metric tons per vehicle, per year, it is conceivable that nearly 50M vehicles' worth of pollution (carbon dioxide, nitrogen oxide, etc.) could be removed from the U.S. air by CY2020.

This promise was fulfilled.
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EN-15 The Promise: "...will establish a National Low Carbon Fuel Standard (LCFS) to speed the introduction of low-carbon non-petroleum fuels..."
When/Where: Obama's "Plan to Make America a Global Energy Leader," dated 10/18/07
Source: https://grist.org/article/obama-energy-fact-sheet/
Status:As of end-CY2016, no "National Low Carbon Fuel Standard" (LCFS) had been established.

Despite the absence of a national LCFS but recognizing the need for low/no carbon fuel solutions, U.S. industry took the initiative to introduce vehicles powered by fuels other than diesel and gasoline. Examples are biofuels, advanced diesel, natural gas, hydrogen (for fuel cells), and electricity (for plug-in and plug-in hybrid vehicles).

In 12/11, as a result of a lawsuit by oil industry and out-of-state farm groups, the U.S. District Court for the Eastern Division of California ruled that some aspects of California's LCFS were unconstitutional. A CY2013 decision by the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals upheld California's LCFS. In 06/14, the U.S. Supreme Court declined to hear this case, letting stand the 9th Circuit Court's decision, indirectly validating California's LCFS as a possible model for the establishment of a national LCFS.

An opportunity also presented itself for promise fulfillment under the "Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century Act" (MAP-21) (S. 1813) signed into law by President Obama on 04/06/12. LCFS was not addressed in that bill.

In CY2014, a study conducted by Charles River Associates (CRA) revealed that a nationwide LCFS would increase average U.S. gasoline and diesel prices by as much as 80% within five years and up to 170% within 10 years, suggesting that the average national price for gasoline would be about $5 per gallon by CY2020 and about $7.50 a gallon by CY2025. Further, the study indicated that a national LCFS would cause a net loss of up to 4.5M jobs.

This promise was not fulfilled.
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EN-16 The Promise: "...putting in place policies like conservation, development of alternative fuels and investments in new technologies to reduce our dependence on foreign oil..."
When/Where: Obama's "Plan to Make America a Global Energy Leader," dated 10/18/07
Source: https://grist.org/article/obama-energy-fact-sheet/
Status:The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 included more than $80B for the generation of renewable energy sources, expanding manufacturing capacity for clean energy solutions, advancing vehicle and fuel technologies, and building a smarter electric grid.

According to U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) data, oil and other petroleum products imported by the USA from all sources when President Obama assumed the presidency in CY2009 and during ensuing years was as follows:
CY2009....4.267B barrels or 11.7M barrels per day (b/d)
CY2010... 4.304B barrels or 11.8M b/d
CY2011....4.174B barrels or 11.4M b/d
CY2012....3.878B barrels or 10.6M b/d
CY2013....3.598B barrels or 9.8M b/d
CY2014....3.372B barrels or 9.2M b/d
CY2015....3.431B barrels or 9.4M b/d
CY2016....2.865B barrels or 7.9M b/d

Imports of oil from all sources decreased by 3.8M b/d between CY2009 and CY2016.

This promise was fulfilled.
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EN-17 The Promise: "...will work to ensure that these clean alternative fuels are developed and incorporated into our national supply as soon as possible...will require at least 60 billion gallons of advanced biofuels by 2030..."
When/Where: Obama-Biden Plan: "New Energy for America" dated 09/06/08.
Source: http://energy.gov/sites/prod/files/edg/media/Obama_New_Energy_0804.pdf
Status:According to the Global Renewable Fuels Alliance (GRFA), the USA had the capability to produce 12B gallons of corn-based ethanol in CY2010.

On 08/01/10, a technology center in Denver, WY announced that it is producing up to 400 gallons of synthetic jet fuel daily, a first step in reducing the airline industry's consumption of an estimated 23B gallons of jet fuel each year, producing about 2% of the world's carbon emissions according to the International Air Transport Association (IATA). The prospects for attaining this goal was further improved on 07/01/11 when the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) International, an organization that sets standards for airlines, approved the mixing of organic waste and non-food plants with aircraft fuel.

In CY2012, four commercial cellulosic or advanced biorefineries were created which, when they became operational in CY2014, had a combined capacity to produce over 80M gallons of advanced biofuels per year. These are the four facilities:
1. DuPont-Nevada Site Cellulosic Ethanol Facility at Nevada, Iowa. Capacity: 30M gallons per year.
2. Abengoa-Bioenergy Hugoton Cellulosic Ethanol Facility at Hugoton, Kansas. Capacity: 25M gallons per year plus 21 Megawatts of renewable electricity.
3. POET-DSM Project Liberty at Emmetsburg, Iowa. Capacity: 25M gallons per year.
4. Quad County Corn Adding Cellulosic Ethanol, or ACE at Galva, Iowa. Capacity: 3.75M gallons per year.

The military has also been making great strides in the adaptation of its resources to utilize biofuels. The USAF C-17 Globemaster has been certified for flight operations using hydro-processed blended biofuels. The Lockheed-Martin F-22 Raptor fighter aircraft successfully flight tested a biofuel camelina/JP-8 jet fuel blend in 03/11. The U.S. Navy's F/A-18 Hornets and helicopters are among its airborne assets flying with mixtures of biofuels and jet fuel. The Navy's "Great Green Fleet" became a reality in 01/16 when the aircraft carrier John C. Stennis left on a Far East deployment accompanied by five biofuel-powered ships. Those ships (three destroyers, one cruiser and one fast combat support ship) were powered by a biofuel blend made from tallow (rendered beef fat). These innovations by the military come at a higher cost, however:
USAF: $59/gallon for alcohol-to-jet fuel;
USN: $26/gallon for biofuels.

This promise was fulfilled.
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EN-18 The Promise: "...will strategically invest $150 billion over 10 years to accelerate the commercialization of plug-in hybrids, promote development of commercial scale renewable energy, encourage energy efficiency, invest in low emissions coal plants, advance the next generation of biofuels and fuel infrastructure, and begin transition to a new digital electricity grid."
When/Where: Obama-Biden Plan: "New Energy for America" dated 09/06/08.
Source: http://energy.gov/sites/prod/files/edg/media/Obama_New_Energy_0804.pdf
Status:The principal government entity to carry out this promise is Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) within the Department of Energy.

During President Obama's two terms in office, the EERE was funded as follows:
FY2010....$2.216B
FY2011....$1.772B
FY2012....$1.781B
FY2013....$1.692B
FY2014....$1.825B
FY2015....$1.914B
FY2016....$2.069B
FY2017....$2.073B

The above totals $15.342B, with two years to go to reach the 10 year mark. Even if a combination of other agencies/organizations have received similar levels of funding, it was inconceivable that the promised $150B investment would be a reality by CY2019.

This promise was not fulfilled.
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EN-19 The Promise: "...will make the federal government a leader in the green building market, achieving a 40 percent increase in efficiency in all new federal buildings within five years and ensuring that all new federal buildings are zero-emissions by 2025."
When/Where: Obama-Biden Plan: "New Energy for America" dated 09/06/08.
Source: http://energy.gov/sites/prod/files/edg/media/Obama_New_Energy_0804.pdf
Status:The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 of 02/17/09 includes at least $4.5 billion to turn federal buildings into "high-performance green buildings". As of 03/30/11, $5.8B had been invested in energy efficiency projects for federal buildings.

Supporting the stated goal, the General Services Administration (GSA) appointed Ms. Eleni Reed to the newly created position of "Chief Greening Officer" on 06/09/10. In this role, Ms. Reed's mandate was to oversee the "greening" of 1,500 federally owned and 8,100 federally leased buildings.

However, Executive Order 13514 issued by President Obama on 10/05/09 lowered federal building energy efficiency expectations. It mandated that at least 15% (not 40%) of existing federal buildings and leases met "Energy Efficiency Guiding Principles" by CY2015 (not CY2014 - within five years of President Obama's first term inauguration) and that all new federal buildings met 100% conformance goals by CY2030 (not CY2025).

This promise was not fulfilled.
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EN-20 The Promise: "I showed up at this event in a government vehicle that does not have a flexible-fuel tank. When I'm President, I will make sure that every vehicle purchased by the federal government does."
When/Where: Obama Campaign Speech to Detroit Economic Club, Detroit, MI, dated 05/07/07.
Source: https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Remarks_of_Senator_Barack_Obama_to_the_Detroit_Economic_Club
Status:Flexible-Fuel Vehicles (FFV) are capable of operating on E85 (a blend of 85% ethanol and 15% gasoline). The main advantage of employing E85 is that it reduces demand on petroleum, but ethanol contains less energy than gasoline and by some accounts provides 25-30% fewer miles per gallon.

The Energy Policy Act of 2005 (EPACT) signed into law by President Bush on 08/08/05 mandated the use of light duty FFVs in "covered" federal fleets (fleets operating in a Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) with 20 or more vehicles, which are capable of being centrally fueled, barring exceptions). Under this law, 75% of all covered light duty vehicle acquisitions had to be FFVs (law enforcement, emergency vehicles and vehicles located outside the 125+ MSAs covered by EPACT were exempt). It also mandated 100% use of alternative fuel in FFVs.

Executive Order (EO) 13423, "Strengthening Federal Environment, Energy and Transportation Management," was signed by President Bush on 01/24/07. It required federal agencies to exercise leadership in petroleum reduction through improvements in fleet efficiency and the use of alternative fuel vehicles and alternative fuels. This EO was revoked by President Obama on 03/19/15 and replaced by EO 13963 entitled "Planning for Federal Sustainability in the Next Decade."

EO 13963 steps back from the basic tenet of this promise. It stated that by 12/31/20, use of alternative fuel vehicles, including E-85 compatible vehicles, zero emission and plug-in hybrid vehicles, and compressed natural gas powered vehicles must "account for 20 percent of all new agency passenger vehicle acquisitions and by December 31, 2025, zero emission vehicles or plug-in hybrid vehicles account for 50 percent of all new agency passenger vehicles."

The words "every vehicle" in this promise were interpreted to mean 100% of non-exempt vehicles.

This promise was not fulfilled.
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EN-21 The Promise: "...will work with Congress and auto companies to ensure that all new vehicles have FFV [Flexible Fuel Vehicle] capability -- the capability by the end of his first term in office."
When/Where: Obama-Biden Plan: "New Energy for America" dated 09/06/08
Source: http://energy.gov/sites/prod/files/edg/media/Obama_New_Energy_0804.pdf
Status:Although all major U.S. auto manufacturers have aggressive FFV programs in place, it was unrealistic to think that "all new vehicles" manufactured by the end of CY2012 (the end of President Obama's first term in office) would have some type of FFV capability.

The Open Fuel Standard Act of 2011 (H.R. 1687 and S. 1603), introduced by Congressman John Shimkus and Senator Maria Cantwell on 5/3/11 and 9/22/11 respectively promoted the adoption of non-petroleum based fuels (ethanol, methanol, natural gas, hydrogen, biodiesel, plug-in electric, fuel cell) by the following goals: 50% of automobiles manufactured in Model Year (MY) 2014, 80% in MY2016 and 95% by MY2017. Both bills expired with the 112th Congress at the end of CY2012.

This bill was reintroduced by Congressman Eliot Engel (D-NY) as H.R. 2493 on 06/25/13, modified as being applicable to:
- not less than 30% of qualified vehicles manufactured beginning in MY2016 (not 50% by MY2014); and
- not less than 50% of qualified vehicles beginning in MY2017 and each subsequent year (not 80% in MY2016).

In this proposed bill, the term "qualified vehicle" meant a covered vehicle that has been warranted by its manufacturer (1) to operate on natural gas, hydrogen, or biodiesel; is a flexible fuel vehicle; (2) is a plug-in electric drive vehicle; (3) is propelled solely by a fuel cell that produces power without the use of petroleum or a petroleum-based fuel; or (4) is propelled solely by something other than an internal combustion engine and produces power without the use of petroleum or a petroleum-based fuel. This bill expired with the 113th Congress at the end of CY2014,

This promise was not fulfilled.
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EN-22 The Promise: "...will invest in cost-effective retrofits to achieve a 25 percent increase in efficiency of existing federal buildings within 5 years."
When/Where: Obama-Biden Plan: "New Energy for America" dated 09/06/08.
Source: http://energy.gov/sites/prod/files/edg/media/Obama_New_Energy_0804.pdf
Status:While Promise Number EN-19 appears closely related, it pertains to 40% of "new" federal buildings. This promise pertains to 25% of "existing" federal buildings.

Executive Order 13514 issued by President Obama on 10/05/09 lowered federal building energy efficiency expectations. It mandated that at least 15% (not 25%) of "existing" federal buildings and leases meet "Energy Efficiency Guiding Principles" by CY2015, not CY2014, which would have been within five years of President Obama's first term inauguration.

This promise was not fulfilled.
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EN-23 The Promise: "...will put forward the resources necessary to achieve a 15 percent reduction in federal energy consumption by 2015."
When/Where: Obama-Biden Plan: "New Energy for America" dated 09/06/08.
Source: http://energy.gov/sites/prod/files/edg/media/Obama_New_Energy_0804.pdf
Status:The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) of 2009 provided $4.5B for the greening of federal buildings as well as $300M for the acquisition of federal motor vehicles with higher fuel economy, including: hybrid vehicles; electric vehicles; and commercially-available, plug-in hybrid vehicles.

On 10/05/09, President Obama signed Executive Order 13514 that set energy consumption reduction goals for federal agencies. However, the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007, signed into law by President Bush on 12/19/07, had already mandated a federal building energy reduction goal of 30% by CY2015.

The ARRA funding reflected above and follow-on annual appropriations provided the "resources necessary" to satisfy the basic tenets of this promise.

This promise was fulfilled.
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EN-24 The Promise: "...will use a portion of the revenue generated from the cap-and-trade permit auction to make investments that will reduce our dependence on foreign oil and accelerate deployment of low-carbon technologies. The investments will focus on three critical areas: 1) Basic Research; 2)Technology Demonstration and 3) Aggressive Commercial Deployment and Clean Market Creation."
When/Where: Obama-Biden Plan: "New Energy for America" dated 09/06/08.
Source: http://energy.gov/sites/prod/files/edg/media/Obama_New_Energy_0804.pdf
Status:The American Clean Energy and Security Act of 2009 (ACES) (H.R. 2454) was introduced by Congressmen Henry Waxman (D-CA) and Edward Markey (D-MA) on 05/15/09 and was thus also known as the "Waxman-Markey Bill." This legislation would have regulated and taxed carbon emissions of power plants and private companies. It narrowly passed the House by a vote of 219 to 212 on 06/26/09. It never reached the Senate floor for discussion or a vote due to Republican opposition based in part on their belief that the "Cap-and-Trade" portion of the ACES amounted to a massive energy tax (a 15% increase according to Department of Treasury estimates). This bill died when the 111th Congress expired at the end of CY2010.

Undaunted, President Obama stated on 11/03/10, after his Democratic party lost control of the Senate, that "cap-and-trade was just one way of skinning the cat; it was not the only way." At his direction, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) produced a 1,560-page Clean Power Plan (CPP) regulation which was publicly implemented by President Obama on 08/03/15.

A group of 29 states, along with utility and energy companies, immediately challenged the CPP, elevating their opposition through the judicial system to the Supreme Court.

On 02/09/16 the Supreme Court stayed implementation of the CPP pending judicial review, which meant that until the Supreme Court announced a final ruling, the CPP had no legal effect. While the stay is in effect, the EPA cannot impose CPP requirements on any state that does not voluntarily recognize those requirements. By end-CY2016, the Supreme Court had not issued its final ruling on this topic.

This promise was not fulfilled.
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EN-25 The Promise: "...will establish a 10 percent federal Renewable Portfolio Standard (RPS) to require that 10 percent of electricity consumed in the U.S. is derived from clean, sustainable energy sources...by 2012."
When/Where: Obama-Biden Plan: "New Energy for America" dated 09/06/08
Source: http://energy.gov/sites/prod/files/edg/media/Obama_New_Energy_0804.pdf
Status:The goal of the Renewable Portfolio Standard (RPS) was to stimulate market and technology development so that renewable energy would be competitive with conventional forms of electric power.

The American Clean Energy and Security Act of 2009 (ACES) (H.R. 2454) was introduced by Congressmen Henry Waxman (D-CA) and Edward Markey (D-MA) on 05/15/09. It narrowly passed the House on 06/26/09. But in the absence of any Senate action, this bill died when the 111th Congress expired at the end of CY2010.

ACES would have established a federal RPS, requiring that 6% of electric power come from renewable resources by CY2012, and 20% by 2020.

As of end-CY2016, 38 states had established state-level RPS or goals. The establishment of a 10% RPS by CY2012 at the national/federal level did not happen.

This promise was not fulfilled.
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