Protesters heckle Clinton over climate change

A group of protesters demanded Hillary Clinton take a strong stance on climate change on Thursday, chanting to interrupt the Democratic presidential candidate during a town hall event in New Hampshire. 

Clinton was asked about her stance on banning fossil fuel extraction on public land, something she said she couldn’t support “until we get alternatives into place,” according to CNN.

{mosads}An audience member followed up, saying she was disappointed by the answer and asking if it was because of campaign contributions Clinton has received from the fossil fuel industry. 

“No. No, it is not,” Clinton said, adding that the more politically appealing answer — that “you bet I will ban extraction on public lands” — would have been infeasible as a policy position.

“We have to change our energy policy, I have been clear about that,” she said. 

“I have been repeatedly clear about that, and we also have to do it in a way that doesn’t disrupt our economy. It’s really easy to say, let’s ban all of these fossil fuel extractions and forget about all the people who are employed, who have jobs, who rely on the energy.”

Clinton said she is “a strong believer in tackling climate change in the very strongest way we can, to have that transition away from it, into clean, renewable energy, solar and wind and advanced biofuels and the like.”

The answer wasn’t enough for some in the audience, who stood and began chanting, “Act on climate, act on climate.”

As the group chanted, Clinton replied: “That’s OK, that’s OK, that’s OK. I am all in favor of acting on climate.”

Clinton’s opponents for the Democratic presidential nomination have criticized her over what they contend is a lack of details about her climate change agenda. 

Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) called on her to take a stand against the long-delayed Keystone XL pipeline when she visited Capitol Hill on Tuesday. 

“I have helped lead the opposition against the Keystone pipeline,” he said. “I think Secretary Clinton has not been clear on her views on that issue.”

Former Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley, another Democratic contender, has introduced an aggressive climate change platform, calling for phasing out fossil fuels by 2050. Billionaire climate change activist Tom Steyer endorsed the plan as “real, concrete solutions to climate change” when O’Malley pitched it in June.