Gov Whiteboots Opposed Offshore FL Drilling, Which Makes Him An Eco-Freak And Worthy Of Scorn, Apparently
Republican presidential candidates Ron DeSantis and Nikki Haley briefly clashed Wednesday over DeSantis’ record on oil and natural gas. Haley, the former United Nations ambassador, accused DeSantis at the Republican presidential primary debate in Miami of being “a liberal” on the environment and “has opposed fracking, he’s opposed drilling.”
The back-and-forth was a rare moment of energy policy discussion at the debate, the third of the primary cycle. It featured just five candidates; former President Donald Trump, the leading contender in the Republican primary, skipped the debate, as he has with each in this campaign cycle, and counterprogrammed it with his own rally in nearby Hialeah, Fla.
Haley tried to tie DeSantis to liberal climate change activists. “He was praised by the Sierra Club. And you’re trying to make up for it and act like you weren’t a liberal when it comes to the environment,” she said of the Florida governor. “You were, you always have been. Just own it if that’s the case. But don’t keep saying you’re something that you’re not.”
DeSantis pushed back, saying his energy policy plan requires an increase in fracking to boost domestic oil and natural gas drilling. But he also defended his policies as Florida’s governor. “I don’t think it’s a good idea to drill in the Florida Everglades. And I know most Floridians agree with me.” DeSantis, like many Florida Republicans, has opposed offshore drilling in the state, arguing it would harm its tourist economy.
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The clash continues attempts by Haley in recent weeks to get to DeSantis’ right on energy and paint him as insufficiently supportive of fossil fuels. She brought up DeSantis’ record at a previous debate in September, saying, “Day Two in Florida, you banned fracking, you banned offshore drilling.” Her campaign posted a video on the topic this week, saying DeSantis would likely “lie about his record again” at the debate while highlighting past statements on energy and the environment.
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https://www.eenews.net/articles/haley-desantis-clash-over-drilling-at-gop-debate/