The real reason Kamala Harris won’t ban fracking

During the recent heated presidential debate, former President Donald Trump repeatedly claimed that Vice President Kamala Harris would ban fracking if she became president. He stated, “If she wins the election, fracking in Pennsylvania will end on day one.”

In response, Harris clarified, “I’m not going to ban fracking. I did not ban fracking as Vice President of the United States. In fact, I was the tie-breaking vote on the Inflation Relief Act, which opened up new fracking leases.”

Trump’s claim was not entirely without merit, as Harris had previously stated during the 2019 presidential campaign that “there’s no question that I’m in favor of banning fracking.”

However, the reality is more nuanced, as Harris, along with Senators Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders, have expressed support for a fracking ban. Even President Joe Biden campaigned on “no new fracking” before adjusting his position to acknowledge the need for fracking as part of an energy transition.

The truth is that political candidates often make statements to appeal to their base. Whether Harris was sitting around or really believed at one point that fracking should be banned, there is currently no practical way to stop it.

Fracking, which dates back to the late 1940s, sparked a boom in U.S. oil and gas production when it was combined with horizontal drilling about 20 years ago. This increase in production has made the US the world’s largest producer of oil and natural gas.

Most of that production takes place on private land, which means that even if Trump thinks otherwise, Harris would have no authority to end fracking in Pennsylvania on her first day in office.

New laws would be needed to stop fracking, and given its significant role in US energy production, Congress is highly unlikely to pass such a law.

As a result, it is a moot point. As an energy expert with decades of experience in the oil industry, I still don’t think fracking will ever be banned.

By Robert Rapier

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