Harris shifts fracking stance amid White House bid: ‘My values have not changed’
Vice President Kamala Harris recently clarified her position on fracking, one that has shifted since the onset of her last White House bid.
Straight Arrow News
Vice President Kamala Harris was questioned about her stance on fracking during Tuesday’s presidential debate between her and former President Donald Trump.
Harris said that she wouldn’t ban fracking, a risky but lucrative technique used to extract oil and gas, if she was elected president.
In California, hydraulic fracking hasn’t been a major portion of oil production for years, and basically ceased in early 2022, after state regulators stopped issuing permits in February 2021. Such permits only last a year.
Gov. Gavin Newsom, stung by a report by The Desert Sun that fracking permits had doubled during his first year in office, directed the Department of Conservation’s Geologic Energy Management division three years ago to stop issuing new permits for fracking by 2024. He also directed the California Air Resources Board to determine how to phase out oil extraction in the state by 2045.
Effective Oct. 1, the fracking ban will be permanent. Under a new regulation, CalGEM will not approve applications for permits for well-stimulation production methods, which include both hydraulic and acid fracturing.
What is fracking?
Hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, is when “water, sand and/or chemicals” are injected into a well at a high pressure to break up underground bedrock to extract oil and gas, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. The technique, widely used in Texas and other states atop the vast Permian Basin, has been linked by scientists to thousands of earthquakes, possible water contamination and chemical spills above ground. The USGS also echoed those possible environmental impacts due to the chemical solution involved.
Why is fracking controversial?
Environmentalists and climate advocates have long condemned the technique due to its environmental impacts and hazard to human health.
Air pollution, the release of the greenhouse gas methane and harm to wildlife are several of the concerns the Center for Biological Diversity has raised about the technique. The center, a 501c3 nonprofit, is not allowed to comment on political debates or elections.
“The climate crisis is real, and we continue to see the signs every day,” Newsom said in 2021. “As we move to swiftly decarbonize our transportation sector and create a healthier future for our children, I’ve made it clear I don’t see a role for fracking in that future and, similarly, believe that California needs to move beyond oil.”
More: Dozens of little-known California oil spills have earned companies millions of dollars
Why is fracking supported?
Fracking in California had accounted for as much as a fifth of California’s oil production in the past, and industry lobbyists unsuccessfully fought hard to keep it legal.
Catherine Reheis-Boyd, president of the Western States Petroleum Association, denounced Newsom’s decision in 2021.
“Banning nearly 20% of the energy production in our state will only hurt workers, families and communities in California and turn our energy independence over to foreign suppliers,” she said.
The Independent Petroleum Association of America, a national trade association representing oil and natural gas producers as described by GuideStar, said fracking has created “millions” of jobs in the country and “reduced energy prices,” among other benefits.
Paris Barraza is a trending reporter covering California news at The Desert Sun. Reach her at pbarraza@gannett.com. Follow her on Twitter @ParisBarraza.
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Publish date : 2024-09-11 08:17:00
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