Quick Hit:

Kamala Harris has confirmed she won’t back expanding fossil fuel drilling, despite boasting about domestic oil production under the Biden administration during her 2024 campaign. The shift comes after previous support for a fracking ban.

Key Details:

• Harris' climate engagement director clarified she’s not promoting fossil fuel expansion but won’t push for a fracking ban either.
• Harris cited a historic increase in domestic oil production as part of the Biden administration's energy approach.
• Critics argue the energy sector’s growth happened despite the Biden administration’s restrictive policies, not because of them.

Diving Deeper:

Vice President Kamala Harris has taken a firm stance against expanding fossil fuel drilling, according to her campaign, even as she touts significant domestic oil production increases under the Biden administration. Harris’ climate engagement director, Camila Thorndike, clarified the vice president’s position, stating that while Harris won’t back a ban on fracking, she also won’t support expanding fossil fuel drilling.

“Just to be clear, Vice President Harris hasn’t said anything that the administration hasn’t already said. She is not promoting expansion,” Thorndike said, emphasizing the administration’s focus on balancing domestic energy production with environmental concerns.

Harris has faced criticism for her changing position on energy issues. As recently as 2019, she supported banning fracking, but her current messaging focuses on the “largest increase in domestic oil production in history” under the Biden administration. During a recent debate with Donald Trump in Pennsylvania, a key battleground state, Harris noted the importance of reducing reliance on foreign oil while promoting investments in clean energy.

Despite these claims, industry leaders have pushed back, arguing that the Biden administration's policies have hindered rather than helped energy production. The U.S. Oil and Gas Association (OGA) recently criticized the administration, stating that record oil and gas production was achieved “in spite of” regulatory efforts. In a post on X (formerly Twitter), the OGA accused the administration of creating the “single worst regulatory and legislative environment” in the industry’s history.

Harris’ focus on oil production while distancing herself from expansion signals the tightrope she is walking between progressive climate goals and the energy realities needed to sway voters, particularly in states like Pennsylvania where energy issues are a top concern. With just weeks until Election Day, her stance could prove critical in shaping voter opinions on her energy policy.