In a report released Tuesday, President Obama’s jobs council called for the government to provide more access to oil, natural gas and coal on federal lands, something that the Obama administration has opposed.

“Expanding and expediting domestic production of fossil fuels both offshore and onshore, in conjunction with more electric and natural gas vehicles, will reduce America’s reliance on foreign oil and the huge outflow of U.S. dollars this reliance entails,” said the report, which made several recommendations to promote U.S. competitiveness and jobs growth.

Obama met with the council Tuesday to discuss some of the initiatives. The president indicated that action has been taken on the majority of the council’s recommendations, including permitting for clean energy. But he did not mention expanded access to federal lands for fossil fuels.

As for the development of shale natural gas, the jobs council said, “Federal, state and local authorities should encourage its safe and responsible extraction.”

While the U.S. will eventually have to move toward renewable and low-carbon forms of energy, “we recognize that this will be a long-term transition and that traditional forms of fossil energy will continue to be important to our economy as we transition.” The report said “recent innovations in drilling have unlocked a century’s worth of natural gas supply and enormously increased the production of unconventional [energy].”

Nevertheless, the government needs to promote more renewable fuel development. “It’s not just about fossil fuels. As the largest owner of land in the country, the U.S. government should make more areas available for renewable energy development,” the report said.

The jobs council recognizes that its recommendation for the government to provide more areas for drilling, mining and renewable energy development “is controversial, but given the current economic situation, we believe it’s necessary to tap America’s assets in a safe and responsible manner…Over the long term, we expect that innovation and technological advancements will greatly reduce America’s reliance on fossil fuels.”

Large investments in research and development are needed in the energy sector in order to meet America’s future energy demands without increasing harmful emissions, according to the jobs council. “Rapidly evolving technologies in areas like natural gas drilling, 21st century nuclear power, renewable energy, energy storage, coal gasification, electric vehicles, the smart grid and carbon capture, utilization and storage have enormous potential. Together, they can change the face of energy as we know it, boost jobs, economic growth and competitiveness, and improve the environment and public health.”

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