The U.S. Oil & Gas Association on Monday took a Kamala Harris aide to task over the presidential contender’s constant pivoting on fracking.
The association weighed in on a Politico interview with Harris’ Climate Engagement Director Camila Thorndike.
In the interview, Thorndike was asked how Harris would reassure younger voters she remained committed to policies that protect the environment despite “promoting fossil fuels these last few months.”
Thorndike said Harris wasn’t banning fracking but wasn’t promoting expansion either. She said the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) required new leases.
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Harris addressed the issue of flip-flopping on fracking during last month’s presidential debate. The vice president said her “values have not changed” and pointed to the fact that the IRA “opened new leases for fracking.”
“So Harris’ new position in October is she now opposes fracking and no longer supports her position in July when she changed her position to support fracking which was subsequently a change in her prior, prior position of June which was to oppose fracking? Got it,” the US Oil & Gas Association tweeted in response to the interview.
Later Monday, Thorndike sought to clarify her comments.
“I didn’t explain myself clearly here. Contrary to Trump’s claims, the VP has not banned fracking, doesn’t support banning fracking, and in fact cast the tie-breaking vote on the biggest pro-climate law ever, which, yes, opened new fracking leases. People know that’s her position,” Thorndike tweeted.
The tweet provoked another response from the US Oil & Gas Association.
“Wait! Change of plan from earlier this morning… As of this afternoon, Harris now supports fracking which is a change of position from this morning in which they opposed fracking,” the association tweeted. “Which was a change from their July position in which they supported fracking… Which was a change in their June position in which they opposed fracking… Got it? Got it.”
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FOX Business has reached out to the association and the Harris campaign for further comment.
While running for president in 2019, Harris – a U.S. Senator at the time – said there was “no question” that she was in favor of banning fracking.
She later shifted her stance on the issue after becoming the 2024 Democrat nominee.
Hydraulic fracturing, or “fracking,” is a process that involves injecting water, chemicals, and sand into shale rock at high pressure to extract natural gas. The process has revolutionized the oil and gas industry by allowing producers to reach large quantities within shale rock that were previously unattainable and cost-prohibitive to drill.
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Proponents of fracking argue that it is critical for the U.S. becoming energy independent and is the reason for the sharp drop in carbon dioxide emissions over the past decade. Opponents, meanwhile, say fracking pollutes drinking water and air and releases greenhouse gases into the ozone, contributing to global warming.
FOX Business’ Breck Dumas contributed to this report.
