The ears of the renewable energy industry were perked with the President’s State of the Union address last week. Among the notable nods include his utterance of “global climate change” and his proposals to cut gas consumption 20 percent by 2017, raise renewable fuel standards, and increase research for hybrid car batteries. Here are some reactions to those proposals, from Renewable Energy Access:

Scott Sklar, President, The Stella Group, Ltd.:

While the President actually mentioned the word "climate change" in his State of the Union speech, the environmental groups got none of what they directly wanted towards establishing some sort of mandatory emissions caps…The speech signifies the formal start of this process, and now the political theater and process begins.

Bill Prindle, Acting Executive Director, American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy:

While we need new clean fuels, energy efficiency is the first fuel in the race for energy security. Congress should set a stronger [Corporate Average Fuel Economy] standard that would save at least 12 billion gallons of gasoline in 2017 and 50 billion in 2030.

Brent Erickson, Executive Vice President, Biotechnology Industry Organization:

By proposing a new renewable energy standard that will require fuel blenders to use up to 35 billion gallons of renewable fuel by 2017, the President is sending a dramatically positive signal to the investment community, to farmers, to biotech companies and to gasoline refiners that our government will work with the private sector to make the biofuels sector a major contributor to our energy independence.

Carol Werner, Executive Director, Environmental and Energy Study Institute:

…we do have concerns about the President's proposal to broaden the Renewable Fuel Standard enacted by Congress to an Alternative Fuels Standard that would also encompass a broad range of other fuels including methanol, butanol, hydrogen and other alternative fuels — which may be derived from fossil energy, including coal, natural gas and other fossil fuels.

Scott Faber, Farm Policy Campaign Director, Environmental Defense:

Expanding the production of ethanol will help boost the profitability of our farmers and reduce our dependence on foreign sources of energy…The next Farm Bill should expand [U.S. Department of Agriculture] grants and loan guarantees to develop renewable energy, and should for the first time link USDA investments in renewable energy to an index of environmental benefits.