Washington, D.C. — Since being in the national public spotlight, Vice President Kamala Harris has been a staunch opponent of fracking. Now that she needs the votes of the rust belt blue-collar voters, she has announced a sudden change to her yearslong fight against fracking.
Previously, Harris has stated, “I am committed to passing a Green New Deal creating clean jobs and finally putting an end to fracking once and for all. There’s no question. I’m in favor of banning fracking, so yeah.”
Now, Vice President Kamala Harris, who previously advocated for a fracking ban, has recently reiterated that she does not support an outright ban on fracking. This position contrasts with her statements during her 2019 presidential campaign when she expressed support for banning fracking as part of her climate agenda.
During her presidential run, Harris was vocal about her commitment to the Green New Deal, stating that she was “in favor of banning fracking” as part of efforts to transition to clean energy and address climate change. She emphasized this position during a CNN town hall, aligning herself with progressive climate policies at the time.
However, after joining the Biden ticket in 2020, Harris clarified that her stance did not reflect the administration’s policy.
The Biden-Harris administration’s position has been to halt new fracking on federal lands while not implementing a complete ban on the practice. This approach balances environmental goals with economic and energy needs.
Harris’s evolving stance has attracted attention and scrutiny, particularly as she campaigns in swing states where natural gas production is significant. Despite her past endorsements of more stringent climate measures, including co-sponsoring the Green New Deal resolution in the Senate, the current administration has focused on more moderate approaches to climate and energy policy.
This week, Harris said that attacks from President Donald Trump, whose mantra is “drill, baby, drill”, are nothing more than campaign lies and that she will not ban fracking and supports fracking.
She has said many times in the past that she will ban fracking.
