Hillary Clinton presidential campaign, 2016/Energy and environmental policy

Hillary Clinton announced her presidential run on April 12, 2015.^[1]

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Hillary Clinton
Democratic presidential nominee
Running mate: Tim Kaine

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Domestic affairs • Economic affairs and government regulations • Foreign affairs and national security • Hillarycare • Tenure as U.S. senator • Tenure as secretary of state • Email investigation • Paid speeches • WikiLeaks • Media coverage of Clinton

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Donald Trump (R) • Jill Stein (G) • Gary Johnson (L) • Vice presidential candidates

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See below what Hillary Clinton and the 2016 Democratic Party Platform said about energy and environmental policy.

CANDIDATE SUMMARY
Clinton pledged to power at least half of the nation's energy needs with renewable sources by 2030.
Clinton applauded the Paris Agreement to combat climate change.
She supported investment in clean renewable energy over fracking.
After evaluating the project’s environmental impact and considering whether it was in the nation’s interest, Clinton announced her opposition to the Keystone XL pipeline.
Clinton disapproved of drilling for oil in the Arctic.

Clinton on energy and environmental policy

Energy development

In a December 17, 2015, radio interview with South Carolina radio station WGCV-AM, Hillary Clinton said that she was doubtful of the need to drill for oil or gas off the eastern seaboard of the U.S. She said, “I am very skeptical about the need or desire for us to pursue offshore drilling off the coast of South Carolina, and frankly off the coast of other southeast states.”^[2]

Climate change

Politico reported on August 11, 2016, that Hillary Clinton had assembled an advisory team on climate change of more than 100 experts, including former Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Carol Browner, former Michigan Gov. Jennifer Granholm (D), and many former Obama administration officials.^[3]

According to The Hill, “Clinton is open to working with lawmakers on a tax on carbon dioxide emissions if Congress wants it.” On July 26, 2016, Clinton’s energy advisor Trevor Houser said, “Democrats believe that climate change is too important to wait for climate deniers in Congress to start listening to science. And while it’s always important to remain open to a conversation about how to address this issue with Congress, we need a plan that we can implement day one, because it’s too important to wait, and we need to focus on those things as well.”^[4]

Clinton, on January 18, 2016, signed a pledge to power at least half of the nation's energy needs with renewable sources by 2030. The pledge was devised by NextGen Climate, a San Francisco-based environmental advocacy organization that was founded by philanthropist, environmental activist, and Democratic donor Tom Steyer in 2013. The group is affiliated with NextGen Climate Action, a super PAC.^[5]

In response to the Paris Agreement adopted on December 12, 2015, Clinton released the following statement, in part: “I applaud President Obama, Secretary Kerry and our negotiating team for helping deliver a new, ambitious international climate agreement in Paris. This is an historic step forward in meeting one of the greatest challenges of the 21st century—the global crisis of climate change. … We cannot afford to be slowed by the climate skeptics or deterred by the defeatists who doubt America’s ability to meet this challenge.”^[6]

Clinton’s campaign announced on November 11, 2015, a $30 billion plan to benefit coal communities as the nation’s electric grid shifts to cleaner energy sources, Time reported. Clinton’s plan would invest in building roads, bridges, water systems, and airports in Appalachia and other coal areas, expand broadband access, and increase public investment in research and development. She would expand a “major public works project,” according to a campaign white paper, aimed at producing clean energy through hydro power on federal lands. As president, Clinton would also find ways to replace local revenue for public schools lost when coal production facilities disappear, ensuring that workers at bankrupt coal companies keep their benefits. She would also award grants for efficient housing upgrades and community health centers in coal communities.^[7]

Clinton announced her climate change policy on July 26, 2015. She focused on two national goals: installing more than 500 million solar panels across the country by the end of her first term and generating enough renewable energy to power every home in 10 years. In a video released by her campaign promoting her plan, Clinton attacked Republican presidential candidates who “still refuse to accept the settled science of climate change. Who would rather remind us they’re not scientists than listen to those who are.”^[8]^[9]
- After Clinton unveiled part of her climate change policy, she received backlash for using a private jet. On July 28, 2015, an aide to Clinton announced that her campaign would be carbon neutral. "We'll be offsetting the carbon footprint of the campaign and that includes travel," the aide said. Clinton previously pledged to run a carbon neutral campaign in 2008.^[10]

In December 2014, Clinton said, “The science of climate change is unforgiving, no matter what the deniers may say, sea levels are rising, ice caps are melting, storms, droughts and wildfires are wreaking havoc.”^[11]

During the 2008 presidential campaign, Clinton expressed her support for cap and trade.^[12]

Keystone XL Pipeline

Hillary Clinton announced on September 22, 2015, that she opposed the Keystone XL pipeline. “I think it is imperative that we look at the Keystone pipeline as what I believe it is -- a distraction from important work we have to do on climate change,” Clinton said. She continued, “And unfortunately from my perspective, one that interferes with our ability to move forward with all the other issues. Therefore I oppose it.” The announcement spurred a number of responses from other candidates via Twitter.^[13]^[14]

Clinton declined to take a position on the Keystone XL pipeline on July 27, 2015, citing her involvement in evaluating the project as the reason for her silence. “No other presidential candidate was secretary of state when this process started, and I put together a very thorough deliberative evidence-based process to evaluate the environmental impact and other considerations of Keystone. As such, I know there is a very careful evaluation continuing and that the final decision is pending to be made by Secretary Kerry and President Obama. Very simply, the evaluation determines whether this pipeline is in our nation’s interest and I’m confident that the pipeline impacts on global greenhouse gas emissions will be a major factor in that decisions, as the president has said. So I will refrain from commenting because I had a leading role in getting that process started and I think we have to let it run its course,” Clinton said.^[15]

Fracking

During the ninth Democratic debate held in Brooklyn, New York, on April 14, 2016, Hillary Clinton was asked whether she had changed her opinion on fracking. Clinton responded, “No, well, I don’t think I’ve changed my view on what we need to do to go from where we are, where the world is heavily dependent on coal and oil, but principally coal, to where we need to be, which is clean renewable energy, and one of the bridge fuels is natural gas. And so for both economic and environmental and strategic reasons, it was American policy to try to help countries get out from under the constant use of coal, building coal plants all the time, also to get out from under, especially if they were in Europe, the pressure from Russia, which has been incredibly intense. So we did say natural gas is a bridge. We want to cross that bridge as quickly as possible, because in order to deal with climate change, we have got to move as rapidly as we can. That’s why I’ve set big goals. I want to see us deploy a half a billion more solar panels by the end of my first term and enough clean energy to provide electricity to every home in America within 10 years. So I have big, bold goals, but I know in order to get from where we are, where the world is still burning way too much coal, where the world is still too intimidated by countries and providers like Russia, we have got to make a very firm but decisive move in the direction of clean energy.”^[16]

At the seventh Democratic debate on March 6, 2016, Clinton discussed her stance on fracking. She said, “You know, I don’t support it when any locality or any state is against it, number one. I don’t support it when the release of methane or contamination of water is present. I don’t support it — number three — unless we can require that anybody who fracks has to tell us exactly what chemicals they are using. So by the time we get through all of my conditions, I do not think there will be many places in America where fracking will continue to take place. And I think that’s the best approach, because right now, there places where fracking is going on that are not sufficiently regulated. So first, we’ve got to regulate everything that is currently underway, and we have to have a system in place that prevents further fracking unless conditions like the ones that I just mentioned are met.”^[17]

Clinton tweeted on August 18, 2015, her disapproval of Shell being permitted to explore the Arctic for oil. “The Arctic is a unique treasure. Given what we know, it's not worth the risk of drilling,” she wrote.^[18]

At the National Clean Energy Summit, Clinton spoke about the benefits of natural gas and the possibility of exporting it. She also expressed concerns about methane leaks and the need to regulate fracking.^[19]

Environmental conservation

Clinton voted for S 22 - Omnibus Public Land Management Act of 2009, which sought to designate certain areas as federally protected land.^[20]

In 2003, Clinton voted for an amendment which sought to prevent "consideration of drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge."^[21]

Read what other presidential candidates said about energy and environmental policy.

The 2016 Democratic Party Platform on energy and environmental policy

“

Combat Climate Change, Build a Clean Energy Economy, and Secure Environmental Justice

Climate change is an urgent threat and a defining challenge of our time. Fifteen of the 16 hottest years on record have occurred this century. While Donald Trump has called climate change a “hoax,” 2016 is on track to break global temperature records once more. Cities from Miami to Baltimore are already threatened by rising seas. California and the West have suffered years of brutal drought. Alaska has been scorched by wildfire. New York has been battered by superstorms, and Texas swamped by flash floods. The best science tells us that without ambitious, immediate action across our economy to cut carbon pollution and other greenhouse gases, all of these impacts will be far worse in the future. We cannot leave our children a planet that has been profoundly damaged.

Democrats share a deep commitment to tackling the climate challenge; creating millions of good-paying middle class jobs; reducing greenhouse gas emissions more than 80 percent below 2005 levels by 2050; and meeting the pledge President Obama put forward in the landmark Paris Agreement, which aims to keep global temperature increases to “well below” two degrees Celsius and to pursue efforts to limit global temperature increases to 1.5 degrees Celsius. We believe America must be running entirely on clean energy by mid-century. We will take bold steps to slash carbon pollution and protect clean air at home, lead the fight against climate change around the world, ensure no Americans are left out or left behind as we accelerate the transition to a clean energy economy, and be responsible stewards of our natural resources and our public lands and waters. Democrats reject the notion that we have to choose between protecting our planet and creating good-paying jobs. We can and we will do both.

Building a Clean Energy Economy

We are committed to getting 50 percent of our electricity from clean energy sources within a decade, with half a billion solar panels installed within four years and enough renewable energy to power every home in the country. We will cut energy waste in American homes, schools, hospitals, and offices through energy efficient improvements; modernize our electric grid; and make American manufacturing the cleanest and most efficient in the world. These efforts will create millions of new jobs and save families and businesses money on their monthly energy bills. We will transform American transportation by reducing oil consumption through cleaner fuels, vehicle electrification increasing the fuel efficiency of cars, boilers, ships, and trucks. We will make new investments in public transportation and build bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure across our urban and suburban areas. Democrats believe the tax code must reflect our commitment to a clean energy future by eliminating special tax breaks and subsidies for fossil fuel companies as well as defending and extending tax incentives for energy efficiency and clean energy.

Democrats believe that carbon dioxide, methane, and other greenhouse gases should be priced to reflect their negative externalities, and to accelerate the transition to a clean energy economy and help meet our climate goals. Democrats believe that climate change is too important to wait for climate deniers and defeatists in Congress to start listening to science, and support using every tool available to reduce emissions now. Democrats are committed to defending, implementing, and extending smart pollution and efficiency standards, including the Clean Power Plan, fuel economy standards for automobiles and heavy-duty vehicles, building codes and appliance standards. We are also committed to expanding clean energy research and development.

Democrats recognize the importance of climate leadership at the local level and know that achieving our national clean energy goals requires an active partnership with states, cities, and rural communities where so much of our country’s energy policy is made. We will ensure that those taking the lead on clean energy and energy efficiency have the tools and resources they need to succeed. The federal government should lead by example, which is why we support taking steps to power the government with 100 percent clean electricity. Democrats are committed to closing the Halliburton loophole that stripped the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) of its ability to regulate hydraulic fracturing, and ensuring tough safeguards are in place, including Safe Drinking Water Act provisions, to protect local water supplies. We believe hydraulic fracturing should not take place where states and local communities oppose it. We will reduce methane emissions from all oil and gas production and transportation by at least 40 to 45 percent below 2005 levels by 2025 through common-sense standards for both new and existing sources and by repairing and replacing thousands of miles of leaky pipes. This will both protect our climate and create thousands of good-paying jobs. We will work to expand access to cost-saving renewable energy by low-income households, create good-paying jobs in communities that have struggled with energy poverty, and oppose efforts by utilities to limit consumer choice or slow clean energy deployment. We will streamline federal permitting to accelerate the construction of new transmission lines to get low-cost renewable energy to market, and incentivize wind, solar, and other renewable energy over the development of new natural gas power plants.

We support President Obama's decision to reject the Keystone XL pipeline. As we continue working to reduce carbon dioxide, methane, and other greenhouse gas emissions, we must ensure federal actions do not “significantly exacerbate” global warming. We support a comprehensive approach that ensures all federal decisions going forward contribute to solving, not significantly exacerbating, climate change.

Democrats believe that our commitment to meeting the climate challenge must also be reflected in the infrastructure investments we make. We need to make our existing infrastructure safer and cleaner and build the new infrastructure necessary to power our clean energy future. To create good-paying middle class jobs that cannot be outsourced, Democrats support high labor standards in clean energy infrastructure and the right to form or join a union, whether in renewable power or advanced vehicle manufacturing. During the clean energy transition, we will ensure landowners, communities of color, and tribal nations are at the table.

Securing Environmental and Climate Justice

Democrats believe clean air and clean water are basic rights of all Americans. Yet as we saw in Flint, Michigan, low-income communities and communities of color are disproportionately home to environmental justice “hot spots,” where air pollution, water pollution, and toxic hazards like lead increase health and economic hardship. The impacts of climate change will also disproportionately affect low-income and minority communities, tribal nations, and Alaska Native villages—all of which suffer the worst losses during extreme weather and have the fewest resources to prepare. Simply put, this is environmental racism.

Democrats believe we must make it a national priority to eradicate lead poisoning, which disproportionately impacts low-income children and children of color and can lead to lifelong health and educational challenges. We will prioritize hiring and training workers from affected communities to clean up toxic brownfields and expand clean energy, energy efficiency, and resilient infrastructure.

The fight against climate change must not leave any community out or behind—including the coal communities who kept America’s lights on for generations. Democrats will fight to make sure these workers and their families get the benefits they have earned and the respect they deserve, and we will make new investments in energy-producing communities to help create jobs and build a brighter and more resilient economic future. We will also oppose threats to the public health of these communities from harmful and dangerous extraction practices, like mountaintop removal mining operations.

All corporations owe it to their shareholders to fully analyze and disclose the risks they face, including climate risk. Those who fail to do so should be held accountable. Democrats also respectfully request the Department of Justice to investigate allegations of corporate fraud on the part of fossil fuel companies accused of misleading shareholders and the public on the scientific reality of climate change.

Protecting Our Public Lands and Waters

Democrats believe in the conservation and collaborative stewardship of our shared natural heritage: the public lands and waterways, the oceans, Everglades, Great Lakes, the Arctic, and all that makes America’s great outdoors priceless. As a nation, we need policies and investments that will keep America’s public lands public, strengthen protections for our natural and cultural resources, increase access to parks and public lands for all Americans, protect native species and wildlife, and harness the immense economic and social potential of our public lands and waters. Democrats will work to establish an American Parks Trust Fund to help expand local, state, and national recreational opportunities, rehabilitate existing parks, and enhance America's great outdoors—from our forests and coasts to neighborhood parks—so “America’s Best Idea” is held in trust for future generations, and all Americans can access and enjoy natural spaces. Democrats are committed to doubling the size of the outdoor economy, creating nearly hundreds of billions of dollars in new economic activity and millions of new jobs.

Democrats will approach conservation of our public lands and waters in a way that reflects the diversity of our country, by actively engaging all Americans in the great outdoors and protecting natural landscapes and cultural sites that tell the story of America's complex history. To help meet these goals, we will work to build a diverse workforce in agencies that manage America's public lands, waters, and cultural sites.

We oppose drilling in the Arctic and off the Atlantic coast, and believe we need to reform fossil fuel leasing on public lands. We will phase down extraction of fossil fuels from our public lands, starting with the most polluting sources, while making our public lands and waters engines of the clean energy economy and creating jobs across the country. Democrats will work to expand the amount of renewable energy production on federal lands and waters, from wind in Wyoming to solar in Nevada.

Democrats oppose efforts to undermine the effectiveness of the Endangered Species Act to protect threatened and endangered species.

Because the Bristol Bay drainages of Alaska produce the world’s largest salmon fisheries, we support efforts by the EPA under the Clean Water Act to establish proactively science-based restrictions on discharges of dredged or fill material associated with a potential Pebble mine and urge that such restrictions must apply to potential mines at other metallic sulfide deposits in those drainages.

Agricultural lands account for nearly half of the total land area in America and our agricultural practices have a significant impact on our water, land, oceans, and the climate. Therefore, we believe that in order to be effective in keeping our air and water clean and combating climate change, we must enlist farmers as partners in promoting conservation and stewardship.^[22]

”

—2016 Democratic Party Platform^[23]

Recent news

This section links to a Google news search for the term Hillary + Clinton + Natural + Resources

Hillary Clinton Natural Resources News Feed

Footnotes

[1] CNN, "Hillary Clinton launches second presidential bid," April 12, 2015

[2] The Guardian, "Hillary Clinton on east coast oil drilling: 'So little to gain and so much to lose,'" December 17, 2015

[3] Politico, "Hillary Clinton's climate army," August 11, 2016

[4] The Hill, "Clinton open to ‘conversation’ on carbon tax," July 26, 2016

[5] NextGen Climate, "HUGE NEWS: BERNIE SANDERS JOINS HILLARY CLINTON IN ENDORSING #50BY30," February 9, 2016

[6] Hillary for America: The Briefing, "Hillary Clinton Statement on the Paris Climate Change Agreement," accessed December 14, 2015

[7] TIME, "Hillary Clinton Announces Plan to Protect Coal Communities," November 12, 2015

[8] The Wall Street Journal, "Hillary Clinton Previews Plans to Combat Climate Change," July 26, 2015

[9] YouTube, "Stand for Reality," July 26, 2015

[10] CNN, "First on CNN: Clinton campaign pledges to be carbon neutral, aide says," July 28, 2015

[11] The Hill, "Hillary Clinton: Climate changing 'no matter what deniers may say,'" accessed February 2, 2015

[12] Time, “The Eco Vote. A field guide to the would-be Presidents," accessed December 17, 2014

[13] CNN Politics, "Hillary Clinton opposes Keystone XL pipeline," September 22, 2015

[14] USA Today, "Hillary Clinton says she opposes Keystone XL Pipeline," September 22, 2015

[15] Politico, "Hillary Clinton steers clear of Keystone," July 27, 2015

[16] The New York Times, "Transcript: Democratic Presidential Debate in Brooklyn," April 15, 2016

[17] The New York Times, "Transcript of the Democratic Presidential Debate in Flint, Mich.," March 6, 2016

[18] National Journal, "Hillary Clinton: Arctic Drilling 'Not Worth The Risk,'" August 18, 2015

[19] Politico, “Hillary Clinton talks climate change, gas and exports to friendly energy crowd," September 4, 2014

[20] Congress.gov, "S.22 - Omnibus Public Land Management Act of 2009," accessed February 2, 2015

[21] Congress.gov, "S.Amdt.272 to S.Con.Res.23," accessed February 2, 2015

[quotedisclaimer-22] Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.

[23] Democratic Party, "The 2016 Democratic Party Platform," accessed August 23, 2016

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Hillary Clinton presidential campaign, 2016/Energy and environmental policy

Contents

Clinton on energy and environmental policy

Energy development

Climate change

Keystone XL Pipeline

Fracking

Environmental conservation

Recent news

See also

Footnotes

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