Obama Thin on Climate Promises, Tempering Hopes and Some Expectations

WASHINGTON—In President Obama's State of the Union speech on Tuesday night, the theme of confronting climate change played more a supporting than a starring role.

Obama urged Congress "to believe in the overwhelming judgment of science—and to act before it's too late."

And he said that if a recalcitrant and divided Congress "won't act soon to protect future generations, I will. I will direct my Cabinet to come up with executive actions we can take, now and in the future, to reduce pollution, prepare our communities for the consequences of climate change, and speed the transition to more sustainable sources of energy."

But the president made no explicit promise to environmental advocates who had been hoping, since his soaring words on climate at his inauguration, that he would pledge to regulate carbon dioxide emissions that spew from existing power plants, or perhaps block the Keystone XL pipeline they so abhor.

Instead, the speech was another inflection point along the curve of his presidency: an assertion of his willingness to bypass Congress on big issues, but also a reminder that he must juggle competing priorities, including jobs, guns, immigration, health care, spending, taxes and global affairs.

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