President Obama speaks to Chattanooga.When President Barack Obama spoke here Tuesday, one of the items he touted as an accomplishment and also as a job-creator from his “fix it” plan was energy.
The topic didn’t get much attention in headlines or elsewhere because a proposed tax cut and the president himself and Air Force One were all far sexier.
But now that the jets have cooled, President Obama’s energy points bear a bit more attention.
Some of the 7.2 million new jobs created in the country over the last 40 months were in energy, he said, though he didn’t break down how many. He did say, “We produce more renewable energy than ever, and more natural gas than anyone.”
Natural gas is a resource that is getting increasing attention in the Southeast and the Appalachians as a bridge fuel from dirty coal to cleaner and alternative energies. But it’s also the fuel that we get with hydraulic fracturing, or fracking.