“As vice president of the United States, I did not ban fracking,” Harris said. “And in fact, I was the one who had the deciding vote on the Inflation Reduction Act, which opened up new leases for fracking.”
Harris changes stance on fracking amid White House bid: “My values have not changed”
Vice President Kamala Harris recently clarified her stance on fracking, which has changed since her last run for the White House.
Straight Arrow News
Vice President Kamala Harris said during Tuesday’s presidential debate that she would not ban fracking, but what is fracking and when did the vice president say she would ban it?
In 2019, Harris called for a ban on fracking as part of her campaign for the Democratic nomination in the 2020 presidential primaries.
However, in her first interview in August after announcing her candidacy for president, Harris said she would not ban fracking.
During the presidential debate with former President Donald Trump on Tuesday evening in Philadelphia, she reiterated that she would not ban fracking.
“I made this very clear in 2020, I will not ban fracking,” Harris said after one of the moderators, Linsey Davis, asked her about her stance on the issue.
What is fracking?
According to National Geographic, hydraulic fracturing, also called fracking, is a method used to extract natural gas and oil from deep within the Earth’s surface.
It involves injecting chemicals, water and sand under high pressure to open and expand cracks beneath the Earth’s surface, producing the natural gas and oil on which the world depends.
According to National Geographic, fracking is being done across the U.S. in areas such as New York, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Ohio, Virginia and West Virginia, making it a hot topic during the 2024 presidential debate.
What did Harris say about fracking?
Despite her changed stance on a fracking ban, Harris said her “values have not changed” and the country needs to invest in more diverse energy sources to “reduce our dependence on foreign oil.”
“As vice president of the United States, I did not ban fracking,” Harris said. “And in fact, I was the one who had the deciding vote on the Inflation Reduction Act, which opened up new leases for fracking.”
She added that the measure would reduce the country’s dependence on foreign oil.
However, Trump claimed that despite her statement, she still stood by her stance and would ban the method.
“She has been against it for 12 years,” the former president said when it was his turn to answer.
“She wants to take away your guns and will never allow fracking in Pennsylvania. If she wins the election, fracking will end in Pennsylvania on day one.”
Julia is a trend reporter for USA TODAY. You can reach her at LinkedInfollow her on X, formerly Twitter, Instagram And TikTok: @juliamariegz, or email her at [email protected]
