Obama seeks to whip up support for energy legislation on back of spill

The president is visiting the Gulf on Monday and Tuesday to survey the ecological impact of
the oil spill in Mississippi, Alabama and Florida. Obama will deliver
his first Oval Office address following his trip, in which he’s
expected to push BP to establish an account to pay out billions in
damages resulting from the spill, but also to make the case for energy
reform legislation.

Democrats have said the oil spill provides
the impetus for their energy plan, and Senate Majority Leader Harry
Reid (D-Nev.) has put Senate Democratic committee chairmen on notice to be
prepared to move on energy legislation this summer, amid a busy
schedule that includes finalizing Wall Street reform, passing extenders
legislation, and confirmation hearings for Supreme Court nominee Elena
Kagan.

“Many businesses support this agenda because shifting to
clean energy creates opportunities for entrepreneurship,” Obama wrote.
“This is how we will reinvent our economy — and create new companies
and new jobs all across the country.”

The president also offered
words of praise for the legislation unveiled by Sens. John Kerry
(D-Mass.) and Joe Lieberman (I-Conn.) that would deal with both energy and climate
change in a comprehensive fashion.

“The House of Representatives
has already passed a comprehensive energy and climate bill, and there
is currently a plan in the Senate — a plan that was developed with
ideas from Democrats and Republicans — that would achieve the same
goal,” Obama said. “So I’m asking for your help today to show that the
American people are ready for a clean-energy future.”

Cross-posted from the Blog Briefing Room.

This post was updated at 3:12 p.m.