Presidential contenders differ sharply on climate, energy

WASHINGTON (AP) — Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders calls climate change the greatest threat to national security.

Many environmental groups and Democrats fear a potential rollback of the Obama administration's policies on climate change and renewable energy under a Republican president.

Business groups and Republicans are eager to boost oil and gas production following years of frustration with Obama.

Everywhere you look, from New York's Wall Street to Iowa's Main Street, voters are ready for real climate action and the clean energy revolution," countered Khalid Pitts of the Sierra Club, "except if you are a Republican running for president.

Obama heads to Paris on Sunday for an international climate conference, and Republicans are united in opposition to a possible pact and the president's plan to cut greenhouse gas emissions from U.S. power plants.

Republican candidates all warn that Obama's plan to curb greenhouse gas emission from U.S power plants could cost thousands of jobs and raise electricity costs for businesses and families.

Sanders wants to stop all new oil and gas drilling on federal lands, as well as in the Arctic and Atlantic oceans, while Republicans would expand drilling for oil and natural gas.

New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie backs credits for wind energy and supports a federal Renewable Fuel Standard that mandates ethanol in gasoline, a policy Cruz has denounced as "corporate welfare."

Sanders' record wins plaudits from environmental organizations, but the League of Conservation Voters Action Fund has endorsed Clinton, the group's earliest endorsement since 1984.