LAS VEGAS -- After spending 17 hours in Las Vegas, President Obama is on his way as he continues a three-day sweep through five battleground states.
Obama spent the morning at a UPS hub near Warm Springs and Bermuda Roads. He announced the sale of oil and gas drilling leases for nearly 38 million acres in the central Gulf of Mexico and promoted the completion of a highway corridor for vehicles that run on liquefied natural gas.
President Obama Overnights in Summerlin Hotel
"Even with all this oil production, we only have 2 percent of the world's reserves. So we need an, all-in, all-of-the-above strategy that develops every available source of American energy - a strategy that is cleaner, cheaper, and full of new jobs," Obama said.
He chose to speak at the UPS center to showcase a refueling station that will permit vehicles to use liquefied natural gas.
SLIDESHOW: President Obama's Visit to Las Vegas
Obama talked about how a challenge was issued to shipping companies like UPS to upgrade their fleets to run on less oil or no oil. UPS was one of the companies that accepted the challenge. Obama said there are now 14 companies onboard and that represents 1 million vehicles.
The president also touched on the need to help veterans, now that they are back from tours in Iraq and Afghanistan. But his core message was renewable energy and the potential to create over 600,000 jobs by the end of the decade.
With Nevada being a swing state, it's likely he will be back quite a few times before November.
President Obama's motorcade en route to the speech. Photo Courtesy: Rick Miller
The crowd moments before President Obama arrived at the UPS center.
