February 5, 2016
Transcript:
Supporter: (Thanks her for her words during debate) Will you end all oil, coal and gas leases on federal lands?
Clinton (nodding): I want to propose a moratorium, because
Supporter: A moratorium? On all oil, coal and gas? That’s great news!
Clinton. Yep, yeah. Because there are legal issues that we have to [??] you know all of that, but I would support a moratorium.
Supporter: Thank you so much!
February 29, 2016
Transcript:
Voter: [Preface] Will you order a moratorium on your first day in office?
Clinton: No.
Voter: Why will you not . . .
Clinton (taking selfies and trying to ignore voter): I will follow what the president is already doing. And expand it.
Voter: Last month you said you would order a moratorium.
Clinton: I said I would look into ordering a moratorium, and I will.
HIllary Clinton recently stated she wanted to propose a moratorium on extraction activities on public land. This went a long way to assuage some fears among her supporters and others about her commitment to addressing climate change.
This is not what her issues page says — her platform stresses “safe” extraction and fair deals on extraction leases on OUR land. As Secretary of State she robustly exported fracking technology and training around the world, and her energy plan does not mention an end to fracking. Plus unlike Sanders and O’Malley, she refused to agree to forego campaign funds from the extraction industry.
Today, she indicates she will NOT call for a moratorium on federal land her first day in office. Cue the flurry of comments about how she only meant she wouldn’t do it on the “first day”. But she claims she only said she would “look into” proposing a moratorium, when she clearly says she “wants to propose a moratorium” and “supports a moratorium”.
Given that her policy statement doesn’t indicate any plan for moratorium, why would we take her at her word less than a month ago that she supports it — at all?
Bernie Sanders: Better on Climate change. www.dailykos.com/…
Keep it in the ground.
UPDATE: I added the transcripts and a couple minor edits. She clearly says “want” and “support” and then changes to “look into”. One thing to point out, though, that one is a clear statement that something WILL happen. The other is a muddy statement that she’ll look into it. Given that declaring a moratorium on day one (or even promising to right now) would serve really as more of a demonstration of her commitment to tackling climate change, what is there to “look into”? And Obama is already proposing it, but she doesn’t seem to realize that, just sort of “Oh, hell, I don’t know, whatever Obama is doing. Oh, and expand it.” Anyone who finds this issue important will not be pleased by a Clinton “I’ll look into it”.
