US President Barack Obama will use an Oval Office address on Tuesday to outline his plan to restore the Gulf Coast following the disastrous BP oil spill and identify a person to lead the recovery effort, White House spokesman Robert Gibbs said.
Mr Gibbs, speaking to morning US television news shows, said Mr Obama will discuss reducing US reliance on fossil fuels and imported oil. The speech comes as Congress looks to tackle broader energy legislation aimed at curbing climate change.
Mr Obama is on the second day of a two-day trip to the region and will return to Washington on Tuesday for a nationally televised address on the spill at 8 pm, his first from the Oval Office, underscoring the gravity of the crisis.
Speaking on CNN, Mr Gibbs said the President will address “how do we challenge ourselves to create the type of energy approach that doesn’t increase our dependency on fossil fuels and foreign oil.”
He said Mr Obama also would touch on regulatory changes to try to prevent this sort of disaster from occurring again and would name someone to head the recovery effort. Mr Obama also will discuss the next steps to contain the leak in the Gulf of Mexico, Mr Gibbs said.
Mr Obama will address how to speed up payment of damages.