Hillary Clinton has come out against Arctic drilling in an attempt to placate the environmentalist wing of the Democratic Party, moving to the left of President Barack Obama’s own policy on drilling in the North Pole.
The Democratic presidential candidate came out against drilling the day after the Obama administration gave Royal Dutch Shell its final approval to begin exploring for oil and natural gas in deep waters off Alaska’s Arctic coast. Clinton called the Arctic a “unique treasure” that’s “not worth the risk of drilling.”
The Arctic is a unique treasure. Given what we know, it’s not worth the risk of drilling. -H
— Hillary Clinton (@HillaryClinton) August 18, 2015
Clinton’s stance on the environment has been sharply criticized by activists who say she needs to take a harder line against fossil fuels. Last month, Clinton came out with her plan to fight global warming, which included installing half a million solar panels across the country by the end of her first term. Environmentalists welcomed the news, but said it didn’t go far enough.
“Now, we need Clinton to show she understands the other half of the climate change equation — and prove she has the courage to stand up against fossil fuel projects like offshore and Arctic drilling, coal leasing in the Powder River basin, and the Keystone XL pipeline,” Bill McKibben, founder of the eco-group 350.org, said in an emailed statement to reporters.
Clinton’s refusal to state her position on the Keystone XL pipeline has been a major concern for environmentalists, who see the oil pipeline as a litmus test for how serious candidates are about fighting global warming.
Environmentalists seem to be much more enthralled with Clinton’s primary opponents Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders and former Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley for their complete opposition to fossil fuels. Both Sanders and O’Malley have pledged not to take money from fossil fuel interests in their campaigns. O’Malley has also proposed completely phasing out fossil fuels by 2050.
“It is hard for me to understand how one can be concerned about climate change but not vigorously oppose the Keystone pipeline,”Sanders said in a statement bashing Clinton’s green energy plan.
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