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With the massive oil spill in the Gulf of
Mexico fouling waterways, wildlife and beaches, President Barack
Obama is expressing deepening concern about the failure to plug the
five-week old leak.

      Obama called the situation "heartbreaking."

      "When this happens on your watch, then every day you are
thinking how does this get solved," he told a Democratic
fundraiser in California Tuesday night.


      The seemingly unstoppable gusher has created not only an
environmental catastrophe but also poses political problems for his
administration. The White House is being criticized even by
Democrats for not acting more aggressively in the spill. The
administration argues that government officials aren't just
watching from the sidelines, but also it acknowledges there's just
so much the government can do directly. Obama could suffer
politically if his administration is seen as failing to stay on top
of the problem or not working hard to find a solution.

      With the spill calling into question his plans to expand
offshore drilling, Obama looked to highlight the benefits of
alternative energy sources.


      Obama was to tour Solyndra Inc., a solar panel manufacturing
facility in northern California, where he also planned to speak to
workers about how expanding the clean energy sector can create jobs
and aid the nation's economic recovery.


      The president has long said renewable sources of energy, like
wind and solar, will play a vital role in the nation's energy
future. He is asking Congress for $9 billion in loan guarantees for
renewable energy projects, a request that would be tacked onto a
multibillion-dollar spending bill for Afghanistan and other
programs.


      But Obama has also moved to expand offshore drilling,
recognizing the practical reality that the U.S. dependence on oil
will continue for many years, and the political reality that more
drilling could help him win Republican support for a broad-ranging
energy bill.

      The expansion Obama announced in March allows drilling from
Delaware to central Florida, plus the northern waters of Alaska.
Exploration could begin 50 miles off the coast of Virginia by 2012.
He also wants Congress to lift a drilling ban in the oil-rich
eastern Gulf, 125 miles from Florida beaches.


      But those projects are in limbo following the oil spill, which
is dumping millions of gallons of oil into the waters near the
Louisiana coastline, confounding experts in the government and at
BP, the company which holds the lease for the rig that exploded and
sank April 20.


      The White House has said no new drilling will occur until the
causes of the accident are thoroughly examined. Interior Secretary
Ken Salazar is due to deliver a report to the president Thursday.

      At the Solyndra plant, the president planned to reaffirm his
earlier assertions that the spill only reinforces the need to find
alternatives to oil.

      The White House says Solyndra is one of the most successful
investments made as part of the president's $826 billion economic
stimulus. The company received a $535 million loan guarantee from
the Energy Department last year to help build a new manufacturing
plant, a project that now employs 1,000 workers.

      The company estimates the construction project could create up
to 3,000 jobs, and as many as 1,000 permanent jobs when the
facility opens.

Gallery

Environmental News

With the massive oil spill in the Gulf of
Mexico fouling waterways, wildlife and beaches, President Barack
Obama is expressing deepening concern about the failure to plug the
five-week old leak.


As oil spills, Obama touts alternative energy

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