Energy

Obama Uses Hillary Stump Speech To Bash ‘Climate Deniers,’ Takes Credit For Cheap Gas

REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque

Daily Caller News Foundation logo
Michael Bastasch DCNF Managing Editor
Font Size:

President Barack Obama took time during a stump speech for Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton in North Carolina Tuesday to bash so-called “climate deniers” and take credit for low gasoline prices.

“You can go the path that denies climate change is real, or you can choose a path where American jobs and businesses lead the world to combat it,” Obama told Clinton supporters gathered in Charlotte.

“Over the last seven years, we have doubled renewable energy in this country,” he said. “Remember when we were all concerned about our dependence on foreign oil?  Well, let me tell you — we’ve cut the amount of oil we buy from other countries in half. Remember when the other team was promising they were going to get gas prices down in like 10 years? We did it. Did it.”

The speech was Obama’s first public appearance in support for Clinton this election cycle. Clinton is expected to win her party’s nomination at the Democratic National Convention in July. Obama focused part of his speech on global warming and energy issues, including cheap gas.

“So we’ve been able to shape an energy policy that’s good for families and good for your pocketbook,” Obama said.

What’s ironic is Obama is taking credit for cheap gasoline prices he said were impossible to achieve simply by drilling for more oil. Obama repeatedly told Americans “we can’t just drill our way to lower gasoline prices.”

Obama is once again taking credit for something he said was impossible through drilling just four years ago.

Under Obama, the U.S. went from producing 5 million barrels per day in 2008 to nearly 7.5 million barrels per day in 2013 — a huge increase, but one that almost exclusively took place on private and state lands.

Obama has little to no control over private and state lands. He does, however, have control over federal lands where oil production lags behind. The Obama administration also worked to increase regulations on oil and gas drilling, and Obama has locked up more offshore areas to drill.

“And with Secretary Clinton’s help, America ultimately led nearly 200 other nations to an agreement to save this planet for future generations,” Obama said. “Maybe you don’t care about this, maybe you think 99 percent of scientists are wrong.”

“But the point is, we’re not done with this,” he said. “So where we go from here is up to you. You can vote with the climate deniers who want to tear up the agreements we’ve crafted, and doom our kids to a more dangerous world, or you can vote to keep putting people back to work building a cleaner energy future for all of us.”

“That’s part of what’s at stake in this election,” he said. “That’s one of the reasons I’m supporting Hillary for President.”

Follow Michael on Facebook and Twitter

All content created by the Daily Caller News Foundation, an independent and nonpartisan newswire service, is available without charge to any legitimate news publisher that can provide a large audience. All republished articles must include our logo, our reporter’s byline and their DCNF affiliation. For any questions about our guidelines or partnering with us, please contact licensing@dailycallernewsfoundation.org.