Expanding the Sphere's Influence

Prez candidates talk up Earth Day, Clinton clinches Pennsylvania primary

Posted at 6:40 AM on 23 Apr 2008

Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton won her party's primary in Pennsylvania Tuesday by a 10-point margin over rival Barack Obama. It's unclear what role environmental issues played in the Pennsylvania contest, if any, though Pennsylvania is one of many important coal states in the Democratic contest and both Clinton and Obama have regularly touted "clean coal" technology while campaigning there. More "clean coal" talk is expected during stops in upcoming-primary states Indiana, Kentucky, Montana, and West Virginia. Coal promotion was noticeably absent from the candidates' Earth Day statements, however. In her statement, Clinton highlighted parts of her energy plan and spoke of the need for personal actions to help the environment; Obama talked up the benefits of collective action and the urgent need to change national environmental policy; and John McCain, the presumptive Republican nominee, stressed the need to tackle climate change and protect the environment for future generations. For his part, President Bush planted a tree on Earth Day and made the uncharacteristic move of tightening fuel-efficiency standards.

sources:  Associated Press, Associated Press, Reuters