President Obama singled out biodiesel, natural gas and electric-vehicle development as ways the United States can cut imports of foreign oil by one-third over the next 10 to 15 years.

The remarks were made during a White House press conference that outlined how the administration plans to reduce dependence on foreign oil, cut fuel costs for consumers and increase fuel efficiency of vehicles.

The United States imported 11 million gallons of oil a day from other countries in 2008. The Obama administration laid out eight ways that the nation can reduce that amount to less than 4 million gallons a day by 2025, such as expanding the biofuels markets and to commercialize new biofuels technologies. First, Obama said infrastructure challenges must be overcome and advanced biofuels technologies must be realized. The administration set a goal of breaking ground on at least four commercial-scale cellulosic or advanced bio-refineries over the next two years.

"And as we do all of these things, we will look for ways to reform our biofuels incentives to make sure they meet today’s biofuels challenges and save taxpayers money," Obama added.

The National Biodiesel Board said the industry stands ready.

"The biodiesel industry is already poised for a record year in which we will displace nearly a billion gallons of petroleum with a renewable fuel produced right here in the United States," said Manning Feraci, NBB's vice president of federal affairs. "We are ready and able to meet the nation's Advanced Biofuel goals and in the process create new jobs, improve the environment and enhance the nation's energy security."

Obama also encouraged responsible development practices for natural gas. He said his administration was committed to the fuel but that it must be developed safely and responsibly. The federal government and the Potential Gas Committee have estimated that domestic natural gas reserves could last at least 100 years based on today’s technology.

“We have huge resources of natural gas right here in America,” said Douglas Clark., chairman of NGVAmerica. “Increased use of natural gas will not only reduce our dependence on foreign oil while also reducing greenhouse gases and air pollution. At the same time, it will save consumers and fleets money."

Clark pointed out that natural gas vehicles, and propane derivatives, displaced 360 million gallons of petroleum in 2010. Federal incentives could grow this to 1.6 billion gallons by 2015. And 23 states so far have introduced legislation that supports natural gas vehicles, including funds for purchasing the vehicles and tax incentives.

NGVAmerica said the NAT GAS Act, which was introduced in the last Congress, would provide incentives for using natural gas in vehicles, purchasing NGVs, installing natural gas refueling stations and producing natural gas vehicles in America. Rep. John Sullivan (R-OK) announced that the NAT GAS Act of 2011 will be introduced in the current Congress on April 6.

New fuel economy standards were also emphasized by the president. The administration is working on raising the average fuel economy of passenger vehicles to 35.5 mpg by 2016, which could save 1.8 billion barrels of oil over the lifetime of those vehicles. And this summer, NHTSA is expected to finalize the first-ever national fuel economy and greenhouse gas emission standards for model-year 2014 through 2018 commercial trucks, vans and buses, including school buses.

And then there's electric vehicles. Obama stood by his goal of seeing 1 million electric vehicles on the road by 2015. The fiscal year 2012 federal budget proposes a redesigned $7,500 tax credit for consumers, competitive grants for communities that encourage the adoption of electric vehicles, and funding for R&D to drive innovation in advanced battery technology.

Currently, there are about 1,000 hybrid-electric school buses in use nationwide.

Editor's note — Want to know more about alternative fuels for school buses?