Clinton: Arctic drilling ‘not worth the risk’

Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton said Tuesday that the current drilling for oil and gas in the Arctic Ocean is “not worth the risk.”

The Arctic is a unique treasure. Given what we know, it’s not worth the risk of drilling. -H

— Hillary Clinton (@HillaryClinton) August 18, 2015

A campaign spokesperson later tweeted that Clinton’s message is in reference to off-shore drilling in the Arctic Ocean, an issue that has become a flashpoint for environmentalists.

Clinton’s tweet comes the day after the Obama administration gave Royal Dutch Shell final approval to explore for oil beneath the Chukchi Sea off the northeastern coast of Alaska.

{mosads}The decision is controversial, and green groups have blasted Obama for allowing Shell to move forward. Environmentalists have warned that the Arctic region and its ecosystem are sensitive to potential oil spills and that cleaning them up would be especially difficult.

Clinton has previously said she was “skeptical” about drilling in the Arctic, telling a New Hampshire news outlet in July that, “I don’t think it is a necessary part of our clean energy, climate change agenda.” 

Her clarified position is likely to bolster her standing among greens, some of whom have previously questioned her focus on environmental issues.

Clinton began rolling out her climate change agenda last month but didn’t address several issues important to environmentalists, including Arctic drilling.

Clinton’s two rivals for the Democratic presidential nomination, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and former Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley, have both previously come out against Arctic and offshore drilling.

Republican presidential candidate Jeb Bush, a former governor of Florida, responded with his own tweet on Tuesday.

“Wrong,” the Bush campaign tweeted to Clinton. “Being more-anti energy than Obama is extreme. We should embrace energy revolution to lower prices & create US jobs.”

—This post was updated at 11:31 a.m.