As President Obama wraps up his first 100 days in office, it's clear that he's set a high bar for the direction that he intends to lead the country. With an approval rating well over 60% and a majority of the country believing that the country is headed in the right direction, Mr. Obama is off to a fast start. Of course, the true test will be whether he can deliver on this early promise, but so far he's shown a strong commitment to address our nation's top energy, climate and environmental issues.

Even before he took office, his first appointments showed that he was ready to turn a page from the past eight years. His choices of Carol Browner as the energy and climate "czar", Dr. Steven Chu as Secretary of Energy, and Lisa Jackson as the EPA administrator showed that he was ready to put core environmental issues-- and scientific integrity-- front-and-center on his agenda.

The surprise to some people, including me, is just how bold he has been on clean energy and global warming. For most people, energy is only something we think about when we turn on our lights, power-up our computers, and drive our cars. We don't normally think about where this energy comes from or why it is such a central issue for our country.

But energy impacts our economy, our national security and the climate. Consider that, according to the Department of Energy, "fossil fuels provide more than 85% of all the energy consumed in the United States, nearly two-thirds of our electricity, and virtually all of our transportation fuels." These are the fuel sources that damage our health, link us to foreign governments, and produce the vast majority of carbon pollution.

Another way to think about energy is that five of the top 10 companies on Fortune 500 list for 2009 are energy companies:

President Obama has looked to turn the issue of energy from a liability to a strength by moving America to a clean energy future that will be a source of economic power and create millions of new jobs. As President Obama said in his remarkable Earth Day speech: "The nation that leads the world in creating new energy sources will be the nation that leads the 21st-century global economy."

This speech is one of several remarkable moments that NRDC experts found in a review of his first 100 days. And one of the most impressive aspects of this short timeframe is that he has not just delivered the right words; his administration has taken the right actions.

In a timeline of the first 100 days that NRDC launched today, we have documented many of the high points, and a few key actions stand out:

• Within days of taking office the EPA announced that it would reconsider the California waiver - which will lead to stronger emissions standards in California and has national implications.
• One of the first moves by the Department of Interior, under Secretary Salazar, was the declaration that they would put a halt to leasing of land in Utah for gas and oil. This was a welcome change in direction and a move that NRDC helped to push through.
• President Obama and Congress moved forward with a historic economic recovery package included the single largest investment in clean energy in America's history.
• In public health, the Obama administration reversed course on the government's position on mercury pollution that will lead to a global accord on this important issue.
• In the House, following Obama's leadership, Chairmen Waxman and Markey introduced comprehensive energy and climate legislation that would move America to clean energy, create jobs, and put strong limits on the carbon pollution that causes global warming.
• The EPA announced that it would move forward with the Supreme Court's 2007 ruling that carbon dioxide is a danger to public health and the climate.

While there are certainly many issues and challenges ahead, it has been a busy and productive start for President Obama. The "yes, we can" spirit of the campaign has carried-over to the early days of the administration, as the president has laid out a solid foundation on energy, climate and the environment that will protect people and the planet, while enhancing our security and spurring our economic recovery.

President Obama's First 100 Days: A Fast Start for Energy and the Environment on Dipity.