DOVER, N.H., July 16 (Reuters) - U.S. Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton said on Thursday she would phase out extraction of fossil fuels on public lands if elected to the White House in 2016.
Clinton said she would not stop the extraction right away, but would try to make the transition as quickly as possible.
"We still have to run our economy, we still have to turn on the lights," Clinton told a town hall meeting in Dover, New Hampshire.
Clinton said the United States needs to balance its aspiration to be an energy super power with the need to lead on addressing climate change.
Fossil fuel extraction on public lands has increased during the Obama administration, although it is taking steps to tighten rules on oil and gas production known as fracking on federal lands. (Reporting by Amanda Becker, writing by Doina Chiacu and Valerie Volcovici; Editing by Sandra Maler and Dan Grebler)
