WASHINGTON (AP) - President Barack Obama is preparing to outline his plans for U.S. energy security during a speech at Georgetown University.
Obama aides say the speech scheduled for Wednesday is part of a broader White House effort to focus on energy policy in the coming weeks.
The president said in his State of the Union address last January that he wants 80 percent of the nation's energy to come from clean sources like wind, solar and nuclear by 2035.
Obama's speech comes amid rising gas prices following instability in the oil-rich Middle East. Gas prices have jumped more than 50 cents a gallon this year.
Republicans blame Obama's policies, including the slow pace of permits for new offshore oil wells in the wake of last summer's massive Gulf of Mexico spill.