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President Discusses Energy Issues During Interview With CBS4

DENVER (CBS4) - Energy is on the minds of many Coloradans, and in President Barack Obama's interview with CBS4 anchor Karen Leigh on Monday, he responded at length to questions from CBS4 viewers on the topic.

Officials with the White House invited a CBS4 crew that included Leigh to tour the White House on Monday. They granted Leigh an interview with the president and provided unprecedented access to the facility. In her live report previewing the interview during CBS4 News at Noon, Leigh appeared on the South Lawn.

Obama spoke for several minutes about the nation's energy issues during the interview, which included questions from Leigh that CBS4 viewers had emailed her.

He said his aim for the country continues to be moving away from dependence on foreign oil. He said oil production in the U.S. is higher than it has been in about eight years.

"We're making progress both on the production front and becoming more efficient as an economy. But obviously that's not providing the kind of relief that people want right now at the gas pump. So we're looking at everything we can," Obama said.

Watch the interview in its entirety on the CBSDenver.com Video page.

Obama said he has asked the attorney general to form a task force to make sure no one is manipulating the oil markets. He also said he's also hoping to keep tabs on tax subsidies for the oil companies.

Obama also stressed that natural gas is an important resource moving forward and that proper regulations need to be in place as US production expands.

Obama also spoke about the war in Afghanistan and even made a comment about the Denver Broncos pursuing free agent Peyton Manning.

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