President Barack Obama delivers remarks on energy, at UPS Las Vegas South in Las Vegas, Nevada, Jan. 26, 2012.(Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

President Obama toured a UPS facility in Las Vegas today to talk about the future of energy in America.

First, he discussed the progress we've already made:

For decades, Americans have been talking about how do we decrease our dependence on foreign oil. Well, my administration has actually begun to do something about it. 

Over the last three years, we negotiated the toughest new efficiency standards for cars and trucks in history. We’ve opened millions of new acres for oil and gas exploration.  Right now, American oil production is the highest that it’s been in eight years. Eight years. Last year, we relied less on foreign oil than in any of last 16 years. That hasn’t gotten a lot of attention, but that’s important. We’re moving in the right direction when it comes to oil and gas production.

Back in December, thousands of Americans shared their stories about the impact that losing $40 per paycheck would have on them, and on their families, if Congress did not pass the payroll tax cut.

Responses poured in from across the country, and these stories made a difference: Congress passed and President Obama signed a two-month extension of the payroll tax cut for middle class families before it expired at the end of 2011. 

Amber Morris from Virginia Beach, Virginia was one of the people who wrote in to say what losing $40 per paycheck would mean to her, and on Tuesday night she joined First Lady Michelle Obama for the President’s State of the Union Address. Amber was selected to represent the tens of thousands of Americans who made their voices heard during the debate.  

In his State of the Union address on Tuesday night, and again today at a UPS facility in Las Vegas, President Obama said that the country needs an “all-out, all of the above strategy that develops every available source of American energy—a strategy that’s cleaner, cheaper, and full of new jobs.”

We’ve taken steps to reduce our dependence on foreign oil and today, American oil production is at its highest level in eight years. In 2011, we relied less on foreign oil than in any of the past 16 years.

With less than 2 percent of the world’s oils reserves, however, the United States must find new ways to produce the energy we need. We’ve nearly doubled our use of renewable energy in the past few years, and are back on top as the world’s leading investor in clean energy. But more can and must be done to further develop our own energy resources and transition to cleaner sources of energy.

President Obama has laid out a Blueprint for an energy strategy that does just that. His plan, which relies on American-made energy and the skills of American workers, will improve our national security, grow our economy, and create jobs, while making sure our environment and the health of our citizens aren’t put at risk.

Safely developing American oil and gas resources

Domestic oil and natural gas production has increased every year President Obama has been in office. In 2011, U.S. crude oil production reached its highest level since 2003, and U.S. natural gas production eclipsed the previous recordset in 1973. Total oil and gas production on public lands during the first three years of the Obama Administration increased by 13 percent compared with the last three years of the previous administration, and today, the United States has more oil and gas rigs operating than the rest of the world—combined

President Obama’s all-of-the-above strategy focuses on continuing to develop these resources:

Developing our natural gas supply: The United States is the world’s leading producer of natural gas, and we have a nearly 100-year supply of it. President Obama has directed his administration to safely develop this gas, called shale gas, in a way that will create up to 600,000 jobs by the end of the decade, according to independent experts. He also called for new rules requiring companies to disclose the chemicals they use when accessing and removing shale gas on public lands to make sure public health is protected.

Expanding offshore oil and gas development: At President Obama’s directive, the Department of Interior is working to finalize a national offshore energy plan that opens new areas for drilling in the Gulf of Mexico and Alaska, making 75 percent of our potential offshore oil and gas resources available for development. In the wake of the Deepwater Horizon tragedy, new projects in the Gulf of Mexico must now meet strict drilling and workplace safety standards, implemented to help avoid another massive oil spill.

Modernizing pipeline infrastructure: President Obama directed agencies to approve and expedite pipeline projects that will move oil and gas from domestic drilling sites to refineries quickly and efficiently while protecting the health and safety of nearby communities and environments.

Committing to clean energy

In the near term, the U.S. will continue to rely on responsibly produced oil and gas. Over the long term, however, the Obama Administration is committed to a policy that builds on progress to transition from oil toward cleaner alternatives and energy efficiency. 

The Obama Administration has already made the largest investment in clean energy in history. Nearly 40 clean energy projects supported by the Department of Energy are expected to employ more than 60,000 Americans, generate enough clean electricity to power nearly 3 million homes and replace nearly 300 million gallons of gasoline annually. These projects include the world’s largest wind farm, the first new U.S. nuclear plant in three decades, and several of the largest solar power generation facilities. But we must do more to accelerate this progress.

Implementing a clean energy standard: The centerpiece of President Obama’s plan to develop and use more clean energy calls for establishing a “clean energy standard," which would require utility companies to produce a larger percentage of their electricity from clean energy sources over time --including renewable sources such as wind, solar, biomass, hydropower, and nuclear, among others. With this requirement in place, clean sources would account for 80 percent of our electricity by 2035. Besides reducing carbon emissions, implementing a standard would create a larger domestic market for developing new, innovative energy technologies—and the many jobs that would come along with it.

Establishing targeted tax incentives: To further support a growing clean energy industry, President Obama’s energy strategy calls for renewing and extending a number of already successful tax incentives. This includes tax incentives for clean energy manufacturing, which could create up to 100,000 jobs, and the Production Tax Credit to support investment in the deployment of clean energy technologies. President Obama is also calling for an end to the $4 billion in taxpayer-funded subsidies that Congress gives each year to oil companies, which are currently bringing in record profits.

President Barack Obama looks at an agricultural auger while touring Conveyer Engineering and Manufacturing in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, Jan. 25, 2012. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

Since the end of 2009, business investment has grown by a rate of 18 percent, and exports have increased by 32 percent -- for a total of $2 trillion.

That's good news for American manufacturing, which has added 334,000 jobs in the past two years.

Last night, in the State of the Union, President Obama said that his Blueprint for an America that lasts begins with manufacturing. He talked about the revival of the American auto industry and said that what is happening in Detroit can happen in Cleveland, Pittsburgh, or Raleigh.

To achieve that vision, the President focused on three key themes. 

First Lady Michelle Obama joins children for lunch at Parklawn Elementary School in Alexandria, Va., Jan. 25, 2012. Mrs. Obama was joined by Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack and celebrity cook Rachael Ray for a Let's Move! event celebrating the school’s food service employees serving healthy meals that meet the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) new and improved nutrition standards for school lunches. (Official White House Photo by Chuck Kennedy)

First Lady Michelle Obama and Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack today introduced new rules that mean America’s school children will soon be eating healthier lunches in the cafeteria.

The new USDA guidelines, which implement important provisions of the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010, substantially increase the amount of fruits, vegetables, and whole grains on the menu, while reducing saturated fat, trans fats and sodium, and set calorie limits based on the age of children being served. The standards make the same kinds of practical changes that many parents are already encouraging at home, and that are a key pillar of Let's Move, the First Lady's initiative that is focused on improving child nutrition and reducing childhood obesity.

Speaking at the Parklawn elementary school in Alexandria, VA, Mrs Obama praised parents for their contribution to the movement to improve the food served in schools:

When we send our kids to school, we have a right to expect that they won’t be eating the kind of fatty, salty, sugary foods that we're trying to keep from them when they're at home.  We have a right to expect that the food they get at school is the same kind of food that we want to serve at our own kitchen tables.

After the press conference, the First Lady and Secretary Vilsack joined students for a healthy lunch of turkey tacos, black bean and corn salad and fresh fruit, prepared by celebrity chef Rachael Ray.

President Barack Obama hugs Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, D-Ariz., on the floor of the House Chamber at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., before delivering the State of the Union address, Jan. 24, 2012. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

Last night, the team from the White House Photo Office was on hand to document the 2012 State of the Union, and they've put together a great new slide show.

Check out their collection.  

Learn more

• Watch the enhanced version of the 2012 State of the Union Address
• Read President Obama's Blueprint for an America Built to Last
• Take a deep dive into the data behind the President’s plan
• Find out how you can talk to Obama Administration officials about the President's plan

Update: The Twitter interview will now take place at 1:10 p.m. EST on Thursday, January 26.

POTUS is right, we need an America built to last. Join me to discuss #SOTU in my 1st @Twitter chat 1/26, 1:30pm ET. Use #WHChat to ask Qs-VP

— Office of VP Biden (@VP) January 25, 2012

Following the State of the Union Address, President Obama and more than thirty administration officials will be responding to your questions about the speech and talking to you about the issues that you care the most about. We're excited to announce that Vice President Biden will also be joining the schedule of engagement opportunities with the White House around the State of the Union.

On Thursday, January 26th, Vice President Biden will answer questions submitted by people from across the country in his first Twitter interview, live from an advanced manufacturing facility in Rochester, New Hampshire. Earlier on Thursday, the Vice President will deliver remarks to workers there about the Administration’s efforts to promote partnerships between community colleges and businesses to train skilled workers for the jobs of the future.

Here's how you can participate:

• Starting now, ask questions for the Vice President and administration officials on Twitter using the hashtags #SOTU and #WHchat.
• On Thursday, January 26th, at 1:10p.m. EST the folks at Twitter will select some of the most popular questions for the Vice President to answer.
• Follow the whole interview on Twitter live through the @gov handle. The Vice President's responses will be tweeted from the @VP account.

Be sure to follow @VP on Twitter for the latest from the Vice President's office. We hope you'll join the conversation with the Vice President on Thursday, and check out all the ways you can engage with the White House at WhiteHouse.gov/sotu.

Tonight, the President outlined a series of ideas to build an economy that works for everyone, one that will bring about a new era of American manufacturing, and promote homegrown and alternative energy sources.

Taken together, those ideas represent a blueprint for the future.

For decades, economic security for the middle class has been unraveling. Jobs that were once the source of stable livelihoods were shipped overseas. Those at the very top watched their incomes skyrocket, while the majority of Americans were stuck with stagnant salaries and rising costs. And all of this was happening before the worst economic crisis in generations.

What's it going to take to address this crisis?

We need to promote new skills and better education so that all Americans are prepared to compete in a global economy. That's why, tonight, the President said every state should require all students to stay in high school until they earn a diploma or turn 18. That's why the President called for a new partnership between community colleges and businesses to help train and place 2 million skilled workers.