Interior Secretary Ken Salazar lashed out at the oil and gas industry Tuesday, accusing some industry trade groups of acting like an arm of the Republican Party in criticizing the Obama administration’s record on energy production.

Salazar made the comments as he announced 38 lease sales scheduled next year on public lands, mostly in Western states. Salazar called the lease sales a sign that the administration was moving forward with a comprehensive energy strategy that includes oil, gas and renewable energy, despite what he said were false claims that the Democratic administration was hindering domestic energy development.

“We believe that our oil and gas leasing program is robust, but it is also a program that we have brought back into balance,” Salazar said in a conference call with reporters. “But you wouldn’t know it if you listened to the untruths coming out of some of the corners of the oil and gas industry.”

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