U.S. Energy Secretary Steven Chu said Monday the U.S. could "offload our total dependence on foreign oil" by using cars that rely on a next-generation of biofuels and turning to electric vehicles.
His comments, made at a clean-energy summit convened by Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., underscore the extent to which the Obama administration is eager to turn the U.S. away from oil. It contrasts with the Republican Party's call for increasing supplies of all energy, including oil.
Speaking later to reporters, Chu declined to say when the U.S. would be able to turn away from imported oil. He cited optimism about next-generation biofuels and about electric vehicles, which the Energy Department boosted last week with the award of $2.4 billion in grants for the development of car batteries.
Asked during a break in the summit when the U.S. could turn away from oil and towards electric vehicles, Chu said: "I'm hoping within three or four years we can begin to make this transition. The price has to come down," he said. He noted that the electrification of the personal vehicle fleet would mean the U.S. can get off its dependence on imported oil for most travel, and that plug-in hybrids would help test different types of batteries.
He said the awards last week were made "on a technical basis" and had nothing to do with politics. Most of the awards went to companies doing business in Michigan and Indiana, which have been hard hit amid recession. "We're trying to do this in a very responsible way," he said.
On biofuels, Chu told cited the need to use "agricultural waste and crops grown specifically for energy." He said "there will be no competition between food and fuel," rejecting arguments that turning to biofuels will drive up food prices as land once used to grow food is replaced with crops for biofuels.
Oil did not win any accolades, in contrast to the Republican Party's cry that all forms of energy will be needed to meet U.S. demand. Natural-gas got a plug, as Chu said that the natural-gas vehicles promoted by energy investor T. Boone Pickens could "make the transition," providing an option for the U.S. until electric vehicles and alternative-fuel vehicles become common.