One day after the Obama administration gave its final approval for offshore drilling in the Arctic, Hillary Clinton has moved to the president's left on this hot-button environmental issue by making clear that it's a bad idea:
As a reminder, anything signed "-H" means that it is a direct quote from Hillary herself.
Waiting until the day after this decision to make her statement shows a somewhat similar deference to the Obama White House that we're seeing with the Keystone XL debate. However, this is not the first time she has thrown cold water on the Arctic drilling idea.
Last month in New Hampshire, for example:
"I have doubts about whether we should continue drilling in the Arctic," Clinton told NH1's Paul Steinhasuer on Wednesday. "And I don't think it is a necessary part of our overall clean energy climate change agenda."
She added, "I will be talking about drilling in general but I am skeptical about whether we should give the go ahead to drill in the Arctic."
Unlike with Keystone, perhaps Clinton was not a central figure in the Arctic drilling decision-making process when she was Secretary of State and felt more free wade into the oily muck before the final decision. Whatever the case, and whatever the Obama administration's Keystone decision and her reaction to it may be, Hillary reiterated her priority of a clean energy future this week in an
interview with Iowa Public Radio:
Clinton: I would like to say, as president, to every state, “Let’s have a clean energy plan, don’t be siting pipelines, don’t be siting anything having to do with coal or fossil fuel, until you’ve really looked at both the economic and the environmental necessity.”
IPR: So you’re not saying, “No new pipelines.”?
Clinton: I’m not saying ‘No,’ but I’m saying my heavy bias is in favor of moving away from fossil fuels, however they are delivered. I mean, if it’s not a pipeline, it’s going to be railroad cars or it’s gonna be trucks, and so it’s not like the pipeline’s the only way it can be delivered. And we should ask the bigger question, “How can we move more quickly to a clean energy future?”
And don't think for a second that these are just words.
For some more clues about what kind of environmental president Hillary will be, check out some of her accomplishments as a senator and Secretary of State, as well as her 82% lifetime rating from the League of Conservation Voters...which is actually 10% higher than the score of our current president.
Next stop: Keystone. Buckle up!
Originally posted at Hillary HQ