US President Barack Obama said Tuesday that he will propose new incentives for heavy-duty trucks to run on alternative fuels such as natural gas in 2014.

"When we rescued our automakers, ... we worked with them to set higher fuel efficiency standards for our cars," Obama said in his fifth State of the Union address.

"In the coming months, I'll build on that success by setting new standards for our trucks, so we can keep driving down oil imports and what we pay at the pump," he added.

The Obama administration has announced fuel efficiency standards for cars and light-duty trucks.

Obama also said the United States should "act with more urgency" to cut carbon pollution because "climate change is a fact" and "a changing climate is already harming western communities struggling with drought, and coastal cities dealing with floods."