Obama spells out differences with GOP on energy

(AP) — President Barack Obama says he and congressional Republicans could agree better on a national energy policy if they would accept that greater efforts are needed on a transition to cleaner technologies.

Answering a question at a House GOP retreat Friday, Obama said "nobody has been a bigger advocate of clean-coal technology than I." But he also said he and Republicans "have a serious disagreement" about long-term energy strategy.

Obama told the group, meeting in Baltimore, that "we can't operate the coal industry in the United States as if we're still in the 1920s, the 1930s, 1950s." The president said that in order to better compete in the world, America has to be seen by other countries as a leader in clean-energy strategies.