Hillary Clinton drew applause Monday night in New York City during a sweeping speech to an environmental group when she called for “smart regulation” on natural gas production, including the extremely controversial practice known as “fracking.”
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Here’s what the former secretary of state and likely 2016 presidential candidate told the League of Conservation Voters’ annual donor dinner in Manhattan:
“Methane leaks in the production and transportation of natural gas pose a particularly troubling threat. So it is crucial that we put in place smart regulations and enforcement, including deciding not to drill when risks to local communities, landscapes, and ecosystems are just too high. If we’re smart about this, and put in the right safeguards, yes, natural gas can play an important bridge role in the transition to a cleaner energy economy.”
If it sounds familiar, it should.
Here’s what she said on the topic in September during a major speech on the environment in Las Vegas:
“Methane leaks in the production and transportation of natural gas are particularly troubling. So it’s crucial that we put in place smart regulations and enforce them, including deciding not to drill when the risks are too high. … Part of that bridge [to a clean energy economy] will certainly come from natural gas.”
And here’s what she wrote in her new book, “Hard Choices”, on the topic:
“Methane leaks in the production and transportation of natural gas are particularly worrisome. So it’s crucial that we put in place smart regulations and enforce them, including not drilling when the risks are too high. If we approach this challenge responsibly…we can build a bridge to a clean energy future.”
Fracking is one of the most controversial issues on the environment today — especially in Clinton’s adopted home state of New York, where Gov. Andrew Cuomo regularly faces heated protests over the topic — so the former secretary of state treads carefully when discussing it.
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Clinton’s book was dismissed by reviewers as boring, but it could also be seen as 600 pages of pre-written talking points, ready to be cannibalized for speeches, statements, and other message memos.
“When I was first learning how to be a speechwriter, when in doubt I would crib from ‘Living History,’ and it always ended up sounding like Hillary Clinton,” former Clinton speechwriter Jon Lovett told msnbc in September, referring to the former first lady’s second memoir.
Alex Seitz-Wald