Obama says passage of comprehensive energy legislation is key to America’s future success

Obama pushes for passage of climate bill

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. — President Barack Obama says passage of comprehensive energy legislation is key to America’s future success and that those opposing it are using “cynical claims” to stop it.

In a speech Friday at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Obama said “the closer we get the harder the opposition will fight.”

But Obama says he believes a consensus is growing. He says the nation’s economic future is tied to its environmental promise and describes innovation as key to righting a flagging economy. Using familiar refrains from his campaign, the speech was designed as a nudge to lawmakers to act on a top priority of the president’s.