President Barack Obama on Wednesday will outline his plan for America 's energy security, a move that comes as political unrest in the oil-rich Middle East has driven gas prices upward.

Obama will lay out his plan at a speech at Georgetown University after touring a United Parcel Service Inc. (UPS) shipping facility in Landover , Md. A line of "clean fleet" vehicles from UPS, along with AT&T Inc. (T), Verizon Communications Inc. (VZ), FedEx Corp. (FDX) and PepsiCo Inc. (PEP) will be on display for the president to view.

Obama will also give a speech to employees of the companies.

Gas prices in the U.S. have jumped in recent weeks amid persistent political agitation in a number of Middle Eastern countries, including Libya . The rise in gas prices has sparked renewed criticism of the Obama administration's energy policies in the wake of the BP PPL (BP, BP.LN) oil disaster in the Gulf of Mexico last year.

The administration has approved seven deep-water drilling permits since the disaster and has said it would issue more if companies can demonstrate they can drill safely.

The speech will also come as nuclear reactors in Japan damaged by an earthquake and resulting tsunami are raising fresh questions about nuclear safety. The Obama administration has said it's reviewing the safety of U.S. nuclear reactors.

The administration has also said nuclear energy, along with clean energies such as wind and solar power, will play an important role in making the U.S. energy-independent.

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