Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton believes the United States has what it takes to become "the clean energy superpower of the 21st century" if the nation is willing to take on the "hard choices" it needs to lead the world in investing in clean energy infrastructure and technology.
Dismissing a subset of Americans who think otherwise, Clinton said in a speech at the seventh annual National Clean Energy Summit in Las Vegas organized by her ally Senator Harry Reid of Nevada that climate change is "the most consequential, urgent and sweeping set of challenges" faced by the world. She cited melting ice caps and "carbon dioxide in our atmosphere not seen in millions of years" as proof of the threat of climate change.
"We shouldn't have to state the obvious... the data is unforgiving," she said. "The threat is real - but so is the opportunity. If we come together to make the hard choices, the smart investment in infrastructure, technology and environmental protection, America can be the clean energy superpower for the 21st century."
Clinton mentioned the benefits of producing and exporting natural gas as opposed to coal and fossil fuels, saying that America could pave the way toward a more environment-friendly economy if the current level of natural production stays the same. She also said that with the continuing problems in Iran, America's natural gas reserves could prove to be "a great economic advantage, a competitive advantage."
"The boom in domestic natural gas production is an example of American innovation changing the game," Clinton said. "With the right safeguards in place, gas is cleaner than coal."
Clinton, however, declined to comment directly on controversial issues, including fracking and the pending approval for the construction of the Keystone XL oil pipeline, which President Obama has continuously delayed. By contrast, Republic rival Governor Chris Christie of New Jersey delivered a separate speech just 24 hours ahead of Clinton's, saying he approved of fracking. Clinton, on the other hand, called for "smart regulations," one of which is "deciding not to drill when the risks are too high."
And while Clinton lauds President Obama's overall climate strategy and his proposal to grant the Environmental Protection Agency better controls over power-generating plants, she protested the "unpredictable" tax incentives for alternative energy investments compared to the "generous subsidies" for fossil fuels.
Widely known to be the most likely Democrat front-runner for the presidential elections in 2016, Clinton managed to play it safe all while speaking about divisive topics such as climate change.
"She wasn't throwing any bombs. I wouldn't expect her to throw any bombs at this point," says Carl Pope, former executive director at Sierra Club. "This was not a campaign speech where [she] was attacking an opponent. This was a speech laying out her basic framework for approaching this issue. I was impressed."
