During an interview with The Weather Channel that is set to air on Wednesday, a portion of which aired on Tuesday, President Joe Biden said that he “wanted to stop all drilling on the East Coast and the West Coast and in the Gulf” but was blocked by the courts from doing so.
Weather Channel Meteorologist Stephanie Abrams asked, “Let’s talk Gen Z, because they’re going to play a big role in the next presidential election, and many of them are angry about the 7,000 oil and gas permits you approved since you’ve been in office. You promised no new drilling on federal land or offshore. Can you tell Gen Z that you haven’t broken your promise?”
Biden responded, “Yes, because the courts overruled me. The courts said I couldn’t do it. I wanted to stop all drilling on the East Coast and the West Coast and in the Gulf. But I lost in court.”
He also stated, “The private sector’s coming off the sidelines. They’ve invested $250 billion in alternative energy. They’re building solar facilities. They’re building — there [are] electrolyzers to take hydrogen and turn it — there’s so much going on. Finally, finally, no one can any longer deny that we don’t have a problem with climate change.”
Biden also criticized Texas by saying that they “have more cheaper…wind and solar energy than any other state. And [Gov. Greg Abbott (R)] wants to cut it back so he could have more oil. I don’t get these guys.”
Follow Ian Hanchett on Twitter @IanHanchett
