Voters must hold Vice President Kamala Harris on her stance regarding her energy policies after flip-flopping on the issue several times.
“There’s no question I’m in favor of banning fracking,” Harris said when she first ran for president in 2019. However, an anonymous campaign aide says the vice president no longer believes in fracking.
As Harris gears up for her first pre-recorded interview since becoming the 2024 Democratic nominee, she has changed her position on fracking despite refusing to address why.
CNN asked Harris's campaign communications director, Michael Tyler, what has changed her mind on energy policy. However, he failed to give a direct answer.
She’s proud of the work that she’s done as a part of this administration, making sure that American energy production is at an all-time high. We want to continue that progress into her first term in office here, and, again, I think whether it’s energy policy, economic policy writ large, that you have a fighter in Kamala Harris who is actually keeping these interests of the American people front and center, coming together to bring people together in search of solutions that actually improve people’s quality of life, improve our economy, improve energy production.
Meanwhile, Democrat Sen. Bob Casey (D-PA) was grilled on the issue during a press conference in which he was asked about Harris’ views on hydraulic fracking, which supports over five percent of Pennsylvania’s workforce.
Casey dodged the question, explaining that Harris’ position would include one that doesn’t involve banning fracking, adding that he has “always opposed, and will continue to oppose” the practice.
Energy is one of the driving forces for Pennsylvania’s economy. Fracking can create at least 123,000 jobs and $75 billion in economic activity.
Gov. Josh Shapiro (D-PA) defended Harris’ fracking inconsistency during the Democratic National Convention this month, saying that her position has “evolved.”
“Kamala Harris did say that in 2019. And then she showed up in Pennsylvania a whole bunch, listened to people, and made clear that now she wants to continue natural gas extractions. She wants to continue to help Pennsylvania be a leader when it comes to energy production,” he said.
Fracking has provided the state with $3.2 billion in state and local tax revenue and more than $6 billion in royalty payments.
Her new attitude on fracking is a stark difference from her past position in which the vice president was a significant supporter of the Green New Deal and opposed drilling on federal lands. Harris also accused oil companies of committing “climate crimes.” She also tried to sue the Obama Administration during her final year as a California attorney general for planning to allow fracking off the Pacific Coast.