Ed Note: Read Heather Zichal’s editorial in USA Today on the Administration’s Announcement on the Keystone XL Pipeline

There is a lot of discussion lately about domestic energy production and American energy security. For the Obama Administration, moving towards the goal of energy independence has been a clear priority since day one. When President Obama took office, the United States imported 11 million barrels of oil a day. The President has put forward a plan to cut that by one-third by 2025 by strengthening domestic production of our energy resources, making our homes and buildings more efficient, and transitioning to a wide range of clean energy technologies.

When it comes to domestic energy production, the numbers speak for themselves. Since 2008, U.S. oil and natural gas production has increased, while imports of foreign oil have decreased. Here are the facts: 

• In 2011, U.S. crude oil production reached its highest level since 2003, increasing by an estimated 90,000 barrels per day (bbl/d) over 2010 levels to 5.57 million bbl/d.   
• U.S. natural gas production grew by an estimated 7.4 percent in 2011– the largest year-over-year volumetric increase – and easily eclipsed the previous all-time production record set in 1973. 
• Overall, oil imports have been falling since 2008, and net imports as a share of total consumption declined from 57 percent in 2008 to 45 percent in 2011 – the lowest level since 1995. 

In May of last year, President Obama outlined a series of additional steps to expand domestic oil and gas production as part of his long-term plan to reduce our reliance on foreign oil. More specifically, the President directed the Department of Interior (DOI) to conduct annual lease sales in Alaska’s National Petroleum Reserve (NPR-A), speed up the evaluation of oil and gas resources in the mid- and south-Atlantic, develop new incentives for industry to develop unused leases both onshore and offshore, extend drilling leases in the areas of the Gulf impacted by the temporary moratorium following the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, and lease new areas in the Gulf of Mexico.

Significant progress has been made in many of these areas. For instance, in December 2011, DOI held the first oil and natural gas lease sale in the Gulf of Mexico since the oil spill. The sale, which covered over 1 million acres, attracted more than $338 million in total bids – about $100 million more than average for Western Gulf sales over the previous decade. During the same month, DOI held a lease sale in Alaska’s NPR-A that generated winning bids of over $3.6 million and covered 17 tracts on over 140,000 acres.

The Administration has also taken historic action to reduce our dependence on oil by making our cars and trucks more efficient. In July of last year, the President announced the next phase in the Administration’s program to increase fuel economy, which will require a performance equivalent to 54.5 miles per gallon for model year 2017-2025 passenger vehicles. Taken together, the standards established under this Administration span Model Years 2011 to 2025. They will save American families money at the pump, for a total of $1.7 trillion in fuel savings over the life of the program. They will clean up our environment, cutting greenhouse gas emissions by more than 6 billion metric tons over the life of the program, while reducing pollutants like air toxics, cause soot, and smog.

These new fuel economy standards will dramatically cut our oil dependence, reducing consumption by an estimated 2.2 million barrels a day in 2025 (eventually reaching more than 4 million barrels a day as the fleet turns over), and saving 12 billion barrels in total over the lifetime of the program. To put that in perspective, it would take a pipeline that carried 700,000 barrels a day nearly 47 years to transport the amount of oil we are saving thanks to these new fuel economy standards.

Of course, the Administration has also been intent on developing and deploying clean energy technologies and positioning the United States as the global leader in the clean energy race. The Recovery Act invested more than $90 billion in clean energy, the largest such investment in America’s history. Those investments have created hundreds of thousands of jobs and spurred thousands of clean energy projects across the country. For example, the Department of Energy’s (DOE) Loan Guarantee Program has already supported more than 40 clean energy projects that will ultimately employ more than 60,000 Americans. And because of Recovery Act investments, we are on track to double non-hydro renewable electricity generation from 2008 levels this year.

In short, the Obama Administration’s approach to achieving American energy independence has been a comprehensive and sustained effort, with emphasis on boosting domestic energy production, increasing efficiency, and transitioning to cleaner energy sources.

But what’s abundantly clear is that there are no silver bullets when it comes to this challenge. And the idea, as some in Washington have tried to suggest, that building a pipeline is the ultimate answer to the question of American energy security and job creation is nothing more than a pipe dream. The truth is that just two of the Administration’s programs – the DOE Loan Guarantee Program and the EPA’s Mercury and Air Toxics Standards – will create more than 10 times the amount of jobs generated by the Keystone XL pipeline, which will only generate a few thousand temporary jobs. In terms of reducing America’s dependence on oil, the Administration’s fuel economy standards alone will save more than twice the amount of oil the Keystone pipeline would deliver.  

It’s been nearly two years since President Obama signed the Affordable Care Act into law. In that time, the law has already made an incredible difference to millions of Americans:

• 2.5 million more young adults have health insurance.
• As of October 2011, more than 2.65 million seniors got a 50 percent discount on their prescription drugs when they hit the donut hole.
• Insurance companies can no longer drop your coverage when you get sick or put a lifetime cap on the amount of care you can receive.

Of course, there is more to come in the years ahead. Starting in 2014, consumers in every state will have access to Affordable Insurance Exchanges – State-based one-stop marketplaces where consumers can choose a private health insurance plan that fits their health needs.  Exchanges will offer consumers the same kinds of insurance choices that members of Congress now have. And millions of middle class families will get tax credits to make it easier to buy insurance in the Exchanges.

Under the health reform law, States have the first opportunity to set up and manage an Exchange and States are taking action.  Today, we released a new report which finds 28 States have taken important steps toward establishing their own Exchanges. Some of the examples in the report include:

• Alabama Governor Robert Bentley, a physician, issued an Executive Order that created the Alabama Health Insurance Exchange Study Commission on June 2, 2011, which recommended that Alabama establish its own Exchange called the “Alabama Health Insurance Marketplace. The legislature, which meets in February, is expected to take up legislation to establish an Exchange, with legislative leaders already indicating their support.
• Colorado passed a bipartisan bill to establish the independent Colorado Health Insurance Exchange, which was signed into law on June 1, 2011. The Colorado Exchange has started public education about health reform and the Exchange at its website, www.getcoveredco.org. Organizations such as the Colorado branch of the National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB) and the Colorado Association of Commerce and Industry have been active participants in creating the small business component of the Exchange. 
• In Nevada, unanimous, bipartisan legislation authorized the Silver State Health Insurance Exchange, which was signed into law by Governor Brian Sandoval on June 16, 2011.  Its board has been appointed, executive director named, and application submitted for its next round of funding for building the Exchange.

Today’s report also outlines some of the steps the Department of Health and Human Services has taken to ensure all Americans have access to an Exchange beginning in 2014. These include developing the information technology and business systems necessary to facilitate Exchanges in multiple States.  No matter where you live, on January 1, 2014, an Exchange will be up and running.

As we move forward, we’ll continue to build on our strong partnerships with State leaders nationwide and help ensure all Americans can access high quality, affordable health care and have the security they need and deserve.

Nancy-Ann DeParle is Assistant to the President and Deputy Chief of Staff 

President Obama today praised His Majesty King Abdullah of Jordan for his leadership in encouraging peace and prosperity throughout the Middle East during what the President described as "an extraordinary time."

Developments since the two leaders last met include new governments emerging in Egypt, Libya and Tunisia and a transition taking place in Yemen, as well as the current volatility in Syria. Today's conversation included those topics, and also the importance of both countries continuing to encourage the Palestinians and the Israelis to seriously negotiate a peaceful way forward.

The President highlighted the efforts that have been made by King Abdullah and Jordan's Prime Minister in guiding political reform inside their country. "I think His Majesty has been ahead of the curve in trying to respond to the legitimate concerns and aspirations, both politically and economically, of the Jordanian population," he said. President Obama said the most pressing issue at the moment is the situation in Syria:

His Majesty was the first Arab leader to publicly call on President Assad to step down, in the face of the terrible brutality we’ve been seeing inside of Syria. 

I want to thank him for his willingness to stand up.  As a consequence, Jordan has been part of an overall Arab League effort to encourage this sort of peaceful transition inside of Syria that is needed.  

Unfortunately, we’re continuing to see unacceptable levels of violence inside that country, and so we will continue to consult very closely with Jordan to create the kind of international pressure and environment that encourages the current Syrian regime to step aside so that a more democratic process of transition can take place inside of Syria.

On Tuesday, January 24th, President Obama will deliver his State of the Union Address from Capitol Hill. Back at the White House, we’re hosting a Tweetup where some of our Twitter followers will be invited to watch the President’s address live, attend a panel with Administration officials after the speech, and of course tweet!

Interested in joining? Sign up for your chance to join other @WhiteHouse followers to watch the President’s annual address to the nation.

Apply today! Registration closes at 11:59 p.m. EST on Tuesday, January 17th at http://www.wh.gov/tweetup. After you sign up, spread the word! Let your followers know that you signed up for the #WHTweetup and tell us @WhiteHouse.

Related: Check out blog posts from some of our previous White House Tweetups, including the Holiday Open House Tweetup and the Republic of Korea Arrival Ceremony Tweetup.

First Lady Michelle Obama applauds poet Maya Angelou who receives the Literary Arts Award at the BET Honors ceremony at the Warner Theatre in Washington, D.C., Jan. 14, 2012. (Official White House Photo by Lawrence Jackson)

Michelle Obama was at the BET Honors Saturday night in Washington D.C. to present the Literary Arts award to Maya Angelou, who the First Lady said was one of her "she-roes." Angelou, who received the Presidential Medal of Freedom from President Obama in 2010, is as well known for her work as a civil rights activist as she is an artist, whose prolific body of work includes writing poetry, memoirs, novels and plays. She has also been a producer, actress, historian and filmmaker.

Mrs Obama, who told the audience at the historic Warner Theatre that she had been "spellbound" when reading her stories, asked the crowd to honor Angelou's contributions by following her example:

Maya Angelou teaches us that it’s not enough merely to seek greatness for ourselves. We must help others discover the greatness within themselves.  We need to reach down…and reach out…and give back…and lift up others the way Maya has lifted us. 

 That is how we can most truly honor our friend Maya Angelou – by how we live our lives…by striving every day to embody the wisdom, and generosity, and radiant love with which she has graced our world. 

Related: Read the poem Maya Angelou wrote for the dedication of the Martin Luther King Memorial

President Barack Obama delivers remarks at Browne Education Campus in Washington, D.C., before participating in a Martin Luther King, Jr. Day service event with First Lady Michelle Obama and daughter Malia, Jan. 16, 2012. January 16, 2012. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

Today, President Obama, the First Lady, and Malia Obama volunteered at a local elementary school as part of a national day of service in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Dr. King, who devoted his life to helping others, once said that “everybody can be great, because everybody can serve.”

Before pitching in to help clean, paint, and organize the school’s library, the President spoke to other volunteers from Big Brothers, Big Sisters and Greater DC Cares gathered for the event:

There’s nobody who can’t serve. Nobody who can’t help somebody else. And whether you’re seven or six or whether you’re 76, then you can find opportunities to make an enormous difference in your community.

The Vice President and Dr. Jill Biden also joined the millions of Americans participating in service events around the country. They traveled to Philadelphia to take part in the 17th annual Greater Philadelphia Martin Luther King Day of Service, the largest Martin Luther King Jr. Day event in the nation.

Vice President Joe Biden and Dr. Jill Biden attend the 17th Annual Martin Luther King Day of Service at Girard College in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, January 16, 2012. January 16, 2012. (Official White House Photo by David Lienemann)

Martin Luther King, Jr. leaves the West Wing after meeting with President Johnson. August 5, 1965. Abbie Rowe, NPS: National Archive and Records Administration. (by Abbie Rowe, NPS: National Archive and Records Administration)

President Lyndon B. Johnson meets with Civil Rights leaders Martin Luther King, Jr., Whitney Young, and James Farmer in the Oval Office. January 18, 1964. . (by Lyndon Baines Johnson Presidential Library)

To mark Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, the White House Historical Association has searched their archives and created a slideshow of historic images that show the impact the civil rights leader has had on several administrations. Dr King's interactions with Presidents Kennedy and Johnson leading up to the Civil Rights Act in 1964, the Voting Rights Act in 1965 and the 1968 Civil Rights Act are well documented, but his first visit to the White House was actually in 1958, when he and other prominent civil rights leaders met with President Dwight Eisenhower. Celebrating Martin Luther King, Jr's Life and Legacy features images of Dr. King himself at the White House and also includes photos of President Reagan signing the King Holiday Bill in 1983 with Coretta Scott King at his side, and President Obama and his family at the national memorial that was dedicated just last year.

See the slideshow on Flickr

The White House has responded to two petitions about legislative approaches to combat online piracy. In their response, Victoria Espinel, Intellectual Property Enforcement Coordinator at Office of Management and Budget, Aneesh Chopra, U.S. Chief Technology Officer, and Howard Schmidt, Special Assistant to the President and Cybersecurity Coordinator for National Security Staff stress that the important task of protecting intellectual property online must not threaten an open and innovative internet.

The Vice President visited high schools in Columbus, Ohio and Doylestown, Pennsylvania this week to highlight our Administration’s efforts to make college more affordable for all Americans. He was joined by Secretary of Education Arne Duncan and Senator Sherrod Brown in Ohio, and by Deputy Secretary of Education Tony Miller in Pennsylvania. 

Speaking at Lincoln High School in Columbus, Ohio on Thursday, the Vice President called for the “bargain with the middle class” to be restored: “There was a bargain in place for last 50 years that if you worked hard, you played by the rules, you helped increase productivity in America, you got a piece of the action.  You benefited.”               

President Obama and Vice President Biden believe that making college affordable is an essential part of restoring that bargain. Our Administration has increased the maximum Pell Grant award by more than $800 and created the $2,500 per year American Opportunity Tax Credit. Even with more generous grants and tax credits, most college students borrow money to pay for school, so we are also limiting federal student loan payments to 10% of discretionary income.