How Kamala Harris' Views On Fracking Have Changed—After ...
Vice President Kamala Harris said in Tuesday’s debate with former President Donald Trump she has been against a fracking ban since 2020—but her messaging on the issue has been less clear than she claimed.
Democratic presidential candidate US Vice President Kamala Harris speaks at a campaign rally at ... [+] Enmarket Arena during a two-day campaign bus tour in Savannah, Georgia, on August 29, 2024. (Photo by CHRISTIAN MONTERROSA/AFP via Getty Images)
AFP via Getty Images Key FactsIn a 2019 CNN climate town hall as a presidential candidate, Harris said “there’s no question I’m in favor of banning fracking.”
On Tuesday night, Harris said she made “very clear” in 2020 she’s against a ban on fracking, presumably referring to her vice presidential debate with Mike Pence, and noted the Biden-era Inflation Reduction Act opened new gas leases—reiterating a stance she took in a CNN interview last month.
But at the 2020 debate, Harris didn’t actually say she changed her own position on the issue—instead she said then-Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden “will not end fracking.”
Harris didn’t explicitly say why her position on fracking changed, but said in CNN’s interview she now believes “we can grow and we can increase a thriving clean energy economy without banning fracking.”
Trump and his allies have repeatedly attacked Harris over her 2019 comments about fracking, particularly to voters in Pennsylvania, the country’s second-largest natural gas producer and a crucial swing state. During Tuesday’s debate in Philadelphia, Trump said: “Fracking? She’s been against it for 12 years.”
Key BackgroundTrump has campaigned on expanding oil and gas production, often blaming President Joe Biden for an uptick in prices. Harris, meanwhile, said she believes “we have got to invest in diverse sources of energy so we reduce our reliance on foreign oil”—touting a spike in domestic oil production.
TangentThe exchange about fracking came during a question about why Harris has shifted some of her policy positions in recent years, including on immigration. When Harris ran for president in the 2020 primaries, she staked out more progressive positions on several key issues. Harris said “my values have not changed” during the debate.
Further ReadingKamala Harris Defends Biden Admin’s Economic Record In First Big Interview—But Says ‘More To Do’ (Forbes)
Kamala Harris Addresses Economy In Major CNN Interview—Here’s What To Know About Her Policy Agenda (Forbes)
