Want true energy security? We need to focus on more than just oil imports.

Last week, while speaking at Georgetown University, President Obama made a bold claim that the United States will cut oil imports in ten years by one-third. In his speech, he offered solutions by calling for increased vehicle efficiency requirements and investing in biofuels as an alternative energy source. It is an admirable and welcomed goal, but President Obama’s plan still defines energy security in the narrow scope of being “independent from foreign oil.”

Unfortunately, this has the unintended consequence of focusing the nation’s energy policy debate down the path of finding an “all of the above” energy solution, which heavily depends on domestic oil, natural gas, and increased coal production. Substantial reliance on fossil fuels only benefits the scarcity model where a small fraction of American society profits, rather than celebrating the abundance model of renewable energy where we can all participate. The current policy frame just delays the inevitability of energy insecurity for the rest of us. We need to expand the debate of energy security to a renewable energy policy that welcomes the participation of all communities, especially in communities of color where the energy burden remains heaviest.

Energy security is more than oil imports. Energy security means that energy costs will not force families to choose between food or clothing; it means that residents can breath clean air and drink clean water without fear of pollutants and contamination from our energy sources; and it means that communities are building economic opportunity by investing in clean energy jobs.