Obama Talks in Fremont about BP and the Gulf

Obama pointed to the "heartbreaking" oil spill disaster in the Gulf of Mexico as underscoring the urgent need for alternative fuel sources to feed U.S. energy needs during a visit to a Bay Area solar energy plant Wednesday.

Obama called Solyndra Inc.'s solar panel manufacturing facility in Fremont and its workers "a testament to American ingenuity and dynamism."

Notable for a president who has proposed expanding offshore drilling, Obama said that the kind of deepwater drilling used by the rig that exploded five weeks ago in the Gulf is risky and costly. He didn't say he opposed the method but noted the danger in having to go down a mile to hit seabed and then drill another mile to find oil.

"With the increased risks, the increased costs — it gives you a sense of where we're going," he said. "We're not going to be able to sustain this kind of fossil fuel use. This planet can't sustain it."

Facing increased skepticism over the government's handling of the devastating spill, Obama said his administration won't rest until the well that's leaking millions of gallons of oil is shut and all the damage repaired.

But Obama warned that it could be months before the leak is fully contained, and said it's no certainty that the "top kill" procedure being attempted Wednesday to cap the well would work better than previous efforts.

"If it's successful — and there's no guarantees — it should greatly reduce or eliminate the flow of oil," Obama said. "There are other approaches that may be viable."

Obama was scheduled to travel to Louisiana Friday to assess the spill, which has confounded experts in the government and at BP, the oil company that owns the lease.

The seemingly unstoppable gusher is fouling marshes, wildlife and beaches. Beyond the environmental catastrophe, it is posing 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, while acknowledging there's only 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.

On Thursday, Obama is expected to propose tougher oversight of rig inspections and drilling permits when Interior Secretary Ken Salazar delivers the results of a 30-day review of offshore drilling safety.

Obama said that his administration is "going to bring every resource necessary" to the task of plugging the leak.

"Our thoughts and prayers are very much with the people on the Gulf Coast," the president said.

Speaking at the Solyndra plant in Fremont, Obama said that moving to an energy strategy more dependent on renewable sources of fuel would create jobs and secure America's economic future.

The president has long said renewable sources of energy, such as wind and solar, will play a vital role in the nation's future. But he has also moved to expand offshore drilling, recognizing 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.

Announced in March, the offshore expansion 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.

The spill has called those plans into question. The White House has said no new drilling will occur until the causes of the accident are thoroughly examined.

Obama toured and spoke at Solyndra during a two-day visit to the Bay Area. His remarks about the oil spill were just a small part of a speech focused on the benefits of expanding the nation's clean energy sector. 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.

The White House said 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 U.S. Energy Department last year to help build a new manufacturing plant, a project that now employs 1,000 workers.

"I try to visit places like this about once a week," Obama said. The president said he enjoys talking to workers who are "doing the extraordinary work of building up America."

"California was hit as hard as any state by this whole mortgage crisis and the economic storms that followed," Obama said. "Even this high-tech corridor wasn't immune."

He noted the recent shutdown of the New United Motor Manufacturing Inc. plant in Fremont.

"The closure of the NUMMI plant was devastating to this community and thousands of jobs were lost ... but thanks to loans through the Department of Energy, which helped provide Tesla Motors with the financial wherewithal to expand, that plant is soon to reopen," Obama said.

Tesla Motors announced last week that it would partner with Toyota to produce electric cars at the NUMMI facility.

"Once again it will be a symbol of promise ... an example of what's positive here in America," Obama said.

Meanwhile, more than 100 protesters gathered outside the Solyndra facility, including about 15 Greenpeace activists who held banners that read "Ban Arctic Drilling."

Greenpeace climate campaigner Gabe Wisniewski said he thinks Obama saw the protesters when his motorcade passed by. Greenpeace wants the Obama administration to call off plans to drill for oil in Alaska this sumer.

Camille Llanes-Fontanilla, the director of development and communications for Kidango, a Fremont child care company, carried a sign saying "Support Early Childcare."

Llanes-Fontanilla, who was accompanied by about 20 colleagues, said she was protesting Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's plans to cut child care funding, but also wanted to thank Obama for his support of early childhood education.

She said that if child care funding is cut, Kidango, which has 38 facilities throughout the Bay Area, might have to close, which would affect 3,000 families who use its services and leave 450 employees out of work.

David Manzo, of San Jose, carried a sign that said "Small Business Bailout Please (Only Need a Few Thousand Dollars)."

Manzo carried a "Barack in the Box" toy, which features the president jumping out of a box. He said he had gotten Hillary Clinton to sign a similar box when she ran for president two years ago, and he's hoping to get the president to sign the new box but hasn't been successful so far.

Another group protested U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement policies, carrying signs that said "ICE Have Mercy" and "ICE Show Justice."

In addition, there were some "tea party" protesters and a group supporting Republican senatorial candidate Chuck DeVore.

The Solyndra visit comes a day after a series of fundraisers for Democratic U.S. Sen. Barbara Boxer in San Francisco. Obama stayed at the Marriott Marquis on Fourth and Mission streets overnight, leaving to Fremont Wednesday morning aboard the Marine One helicopter departing from San Francisco's Marina Green.

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