Barbour says Obama seeks fuel price hikes

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WASHINGTON, June 5 (UPI) -- Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour said Sunday the Obama administration is deliberately driving up fuel prices for environmental reasons.

Speaking on CBS' "Face the Nation," the Republican said: "This administration' policy clearly has been to drive up the cost of energy so Americans would use less of it. That's environmental policy. That's not energy policy. But that's their policy. They think it will give you less pollution, make these alternative energy sources more competitive."

"When Barack Obama became president gasoline was $1.80 a gallon," he added. "And now it's up to $4 a gallon. Why should we be surprised when his secretary of energy said in 2008, Steven Chu, what we really need in the United States is to get the price of gas up to where it in Europe. Well, they may need that in Berkeley, but we don't need that in Biloxi. I can tell you that."

"They've tried to raise the price of oil," Barbour said. "They've tried to raise taxes. They've tried to raise the price of coal. They've tried to make it harder to get permits."

The governor also said "Obamacare makes it harder to hire people," and administration policies are benefiting "Wall Street" but failing "Main Street."