Editors' Summary:

The road to meaningful climate action at the federal level is a difficult one with many obstacles that will not be easily overcome. But while many focus on the tactical issues for achieving federal climate change legislation and international agreements that include the United States, the Obama Administration is likely to focus on building a clean energy economy that deploys America's copious renewable energy resources, dramatically improves the efficient delivery and use of energy through a "smart grid," and reduces reliance on Middle East oil by requiring more efficient fleets of cars and trucks that can utilize the next generation of biofuels and plug-in hybrid technology.