During the debate between Kamala Harris and Donald Trump, the fracking has come back on the table. Asked about her change of mind on the matter, the Democratic candidate resorted to recalling her upbringing in a middle-class family: “My values have not changed and I want to bring those values and help people to improve, not to get worse.” This is how she explained how she has gone from wanting to prohibit this practice in the past to committing to respect it as a candidate. The former president counterattacked his rival: “She has been against the practice for 12 years “fracking”, he assured.
The truth is that the former prosecutor has softened her position on a matter that is once again of great importance to the Democrats, who are seeking the 19 electoral votes of one of the key states in this election: Pennsylvania; the second largest producer of natural gas in the United States, largely thanks to the fracking.
During her first interview as a presidential candidate, Harris wanted to clear up any doubt: “As vice president, I did not prohibit the fracking, And as president, I won’t either.” Donald Trump, determined to ignore the record number of drilling and oil production permits over the past four years, has repeatedly questioned Harris’ energy policy in Washington, accusing her of environmentalist decisions that will destroy thousands of jobs and cause a rise in gasoline prices.
“Your State [Pensilvania] is going to be ruined. She has been anti fracking“I’ve been anti-drilling, anti-oil and gas practically since the day I was born,” he said in Wilkes-Barre in August. “Like most politicians, Kamala is trying to lie about her position to get elected because her advisers know that supporting such a ban is a death sentence (…) It would drive up energy bills, gas prices and food prices,” express Trump campaign spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt.
What is fracking?
He frackingtranslated into Spanish as hydraulic fracturing, is a technology for pumping water, sand, and chemicals underground for the extraction of oil and gas in very dense and rocky soils. In the United States, it is used in approximately 95% of wells, and is largely responsible for oil and gas production in the country. Environmental groups have opposed this practice because it contaminates groundwater, but the Democratic candidate assures that her commitment to clean energy can continue without banning it. In this sense, the Biden-Harris Administration has been a great promoter of the incentives derived from the Inflation Reduction Act, which for two years has generated a wave of investments for the production of batteries and solar panels.
Can presidents ban the fracking?
The answer is no. The Harris-Trump sparring over this issue is largely symbolic because only Congress has the authority to legalize a national ban on fracking. Eight years ago, the Obama administration attempted to pass a rule requiring oil and gas companies to publicly disclose the chemicals they used in fracking so the Interior Department could regulate them on federal lands, but a court struck down both attempts, saying Congress had not given the department that authority. However, states such as Vermont, Washington, and Maryland have enacted local laws banning fracking. fracking within their jurisdictions, but none are major energy producers. Pennsylvania, which is a major producer, did so three years ago, but only in the Delaware River basin.
How many Pennsylvania voters are concerned about the fracking?
Although natural gas production remains a large industry in the state, its footprint has shrunk since boom. Drilling permits have fallen by half, according to figures from the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection. So has the number of wells producing natural gas. The oil and gas industry has also laid off thousands of workers since 2019. fracking itself is little discussed in local election campaigns. “The perception is that Pennsylvanians talk about the fracking all the time, and the reality is that it’s not true,” said Chris Borick, director of the Public Opinion Institute at Muhlenberg College in Allentown, Political.
The topic that remains on Pennsylvanians’ minds is inflation. While the cost of gasoline has dropped significantly since the days of the pandemic, the specter of rising energy prices lingers among voters. The Republicans’ strategy is once again targeting fear. They’re dusting off an old Harris statement to indicate that her policies will outlaw America’s primary method of oil and gas production, which would drive up energy costs.
What environmentalists say
Opinions are divided. Collin Rees, political director of Oil Change US, said in a statement statements for Political He said Vice President Harris’ comments were disappointing. “The science is clear: we cannot meet our climate goals and adequately address the climate crisis without ending fossil fuels.” Climate-conscious congressmen like Democrat Jared Huffman support Harris’ stance, saying that stopping the expansion of fossil fuels in favor of renewable energy remains a priority for the candidate.
RL Miller, president of Climate Hawks Vote, is also leaning in this direction. “At the national level, we have laid a really important foundation, the Inflation Reduction Act, to start producing things in the United States again, and by things I mean important products that we are going to need in the transition to clean energy,” said in your X account.
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