Hillary Clinton is pledging to build on the work President Obama has done on climate change if she wins the presidency next year.
Climate “will always be a high priority of mine,” she told a New Hampshire crowd on Monday. “Because after all, I think we have to use every tool we have. There is no Planet B, this is it.”
Clinton said that climate advocates “had a few good weeks” and credited Obama and other Democrats for taking steps to combat global warming.
{mosads}She said Obama was right to cancel immediate oil and gas drilling lease sales in the Arctic Ocean in October, and said she would work to convince other nations to do the same.
“I will put the Arctic off limits to drilling because I think there are some places where we have to keep fossil fuels in the ground or under the ocean,” she said.
Clinton said Obama did the right thing by denying the Keystone XL pipeline project, saying, “North America’s dirtiest fuel will not be making its way through the heartland and adding to the climate challenge.”
She also praised New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman’s decision to probe allegations that Exxon Mobil Corp. misled the public about climate change.
“It is unacceptable for anyone to put the health of our families and our planet at risk by obscuring science,” she said.
Clinton won the endorsement of the League of Conservation Voters on Monday, with the group highlighting her “proven history of leadership, strong environmental record and a campaign committed to building a clean energy future.”
The endorsement was the earliest in LCV’s history, something the group said is due to the high stakes of next year’s presidential contest.
Appearing at an event with the group’s leadership, Clinton reminded a crowd about her plan to expand solar power and renewable energy and provide support for coal communities hurt by the downturn in demand and production. She said that as president, she would work with states — tasked with implementing President Obama’s climate rule for power plants — to further cut down on their carbon emissions.
She also plugged next month’s climate talks in Paris, and said that if world leaders can reach a deal on cutting carbon emissions, she would “build on” the effort as president.