Mitt Romney turns global warming skeptic in Pittsburgh, PA

Mitt Romney made his most skeptical comments to date on global warming while answering questions at an October 27, 2011 fundraiser held at the Consol Energy Center in Pittsburgh, PA. 

Transcript of Romney’s comments:

Question: What is your position on man-made global warming and would you reject legislation, such as cap and trade, which is based on the idea of man-made global warming?

Romney: Man-made global warming and cap and trade and so forth – I actually had in Massachusetts a consortium of states that came together with a cap and trade program. It was called the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative. And all the governors, Governor Pataki and so forth, signed it. I refused to sign.

I do not believe in a cap and trade program.

By the way, they do not call it America warming, they call it global warming. So the idea of America spending massive amounts, trillions of dollars to somehow stop global warming is not a great idea. It loses jobs for Americans and ultimately it won’t be successful, because industries that are energy intensive will just get up and go somewhere else. So it doesn’t make any sense at all.

My view is that we don’t know what’s causing climate change on this planet. And the idea of spending trillions and trillions of dollars to try to reduce CO2 emissions is not the right course for us.

My view with regards to energy policy is pretty straightforward. I want us to become energy secure and independent of the oil cartels. And that means let’s aggressively develop our oil, our gas, our coal, our nuclear power.

Look, Marcellus Shale is a huge godsend for the nation. Let’s develop it aggressively.

Oil has been discovered in North Dakota. I’m told that the discoveries in North Dakota suggest that we have oil there which will exceed what we found in Prudhoe Bay in Alaska.

So we have massive energy resources. Let’s grant the permits to let the drillers start drilling and provide those resources in America. We will create jobs here and make sure that we have the energy independence from the cartels that’s good for our foreign policy, for our national security, and for our economy. 

Video of Romney’s remarks, with global warming portion starting at 2:07:

Update: New Hampshire Primary 2012: Green broke this story early this morning. Thanks to a little help from @climatebrad over at Think Progress Green, Mitt Romney's latest comments on climate have since proliferated across the mainstream media and blogosphere:

The Blaze - Romney reverses course: Now says 'We don't know what's causing climate change'

Boston Globe - Romney makes new shift on global warming

CBS News - Mitt Romney's shifting views on climate change

CNN - On climate change, Dems and Perry find Romney shifting

The Hill - In a position shift, Romney says the cause of climate change is unknown

Huffington Post - Mitt Romney embraces climate denial: "We don't know what's causing climate change"

International Business Times - Mitt Romney flip-flops on climate change, says scientists don't know the cause

Mongabay - Romney joins climate denial camp

The National Review - Romney and climate change

New York Times - Another flap over an alleged Romney flip-flop

NPR - Mitt Romney criticized for slow motion, climate change flip-flop

Politico - The flip-flop narrative gets fed

Politico - Romney remains cool to climate science

Rolling Stone - Mitt Romney flip-flops on climate change

Time - Rivals hammer Romney for espousing global warming uncertainty

TPM - Romney's very slow flip-flop on climate change

Treehugger - Mitt Romney's downward spiral to climate denial now complete

UPI - Mitt Romney backs off climate change

Wall Street Journal - Romney remarks on global warming trigger new claims of flip-flopping

Washington Post - Mitt Romney flops on climate change

WhichMitt.com - On Climate Change