Obama pledges to end oil dependency

PALO ALTO, CA (KGO) -- One of the bold promises Senator Obama made in his acceptance speech is that he wants to end American's addiction on foreign oil.

Senator Obama said he would address American's oil dependency for the sake of the nation's economy, security and environment.

"I will set a clear goal as president: in ten years we will finally end our dependence on oil in the Middle East," said Democratic Presidential nominee Barack Obama.

For some, the bold statement was more than just political rhetoric.

Professor James Sweeney is not a believer.

"If he means what it sounds like it means, it's impossible," said Stanford University Professor James Sweeney.

Professor Sweeney is the director of the Precourt Institute for Energy Efficiency at Stanford University. He says the U.S. consumes about 21 million barrels of oil a day.

"We import two-thirds of our oil now and the only way we can become independent is shut down industry and tell people they can't drive, tell people they can't fly," said Professor Sweeney.

The Obama campaign points to a multi pronged strategy to achieve its goals including: