LAS VEGAS (FOX5) -
President Barack Obama responded to critics of his renewable energy policy on Wednesday, telling a crowd in Boulder City that the path to cleaner, cheaper power wouldn't be an easy one, but was worth the investment.
"You'd think that everybody would be supportive," Obama joked during his speech at the Copper Mtn. Solar 1 plant. "If these guys were around when Columbus set sail, they'd be charter members of the ‘flat-earth society'"
The president arrived at McCarran Airport in Las Vegas just before 11:30 a.m. and was greeted by Clark County Manager Don Burnette and Commissioner Susan Brager on the runway.
Obama then surprised many members of the media when he walked over to shake hands with the crowd that was allowed access to the event.
After wrapping his speech in Boulder City, the president was expected to make stops in New Mexico, Oklahoma and Ohio.
White House officials stressed that Wednesday's appearance was not a campaign visit, but rather an opportunity for the president to showcase his renewable energy policy.
Obama's approval numbers have suffered in recent weeks as the cost of gasoline has reached $4 per gallon in several states.
Critics and Republican rivals have taken to the airwaves with television ads accusing the president of wasting opportunities to combat high gas prices.
In a statement, the Nevada Policy Research Institute ripped Obama for focusing on, "solar energy that's three times as expensive as traditional energy — that no one would purchase without a government mandate."
"That's not a path to a vibrant economy; it's the road to serfdom," the statement read.
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President Barack Obama speaks in Boulder City
