New York, January 25 (FinanceEnquiry.com) - In his State of the Union address yesterday, President Barack Obama expressed his full support for drilling of natural gas in shale rock, so that development of cleaner energy sources can be increased, which in turn will boost the economy. He supported hydraulic fracturing that would increase the production of natural gas and would create more than 600,000 jobs by the end of the decade.  

Obama said that his administration will develop this energy safely, as America has enough reserves of natural gas to last for nearly 100 years. He reiterated his administration’s emphasis on use of cleaner sources of power and announced incentives for making the industries more energy-efficient. He called on Congress to make it mandatory for the nation to acquire power from low-pollution sources by 2035.

Obama instructed his administration to make sure that more than 75 percent of potential oil and gas resources are opened up for production. U.S. natural-gas production averaged 1.89 trillion cubic feet a month through October, which was 13 percent higher than the average during the two terms of President George W. Bush. The Energy Department said that crude oil production was 2 percent higher. In supporting fracking, Obama risks upsetting environmental groups, as per which fracking poses risks to water supplies. Obama has assured his critics that new drilling would have to comply with regulations to ensure safe drilling practices.