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Kamala Harris Has Endorsed Complete Fracking Ban

Biden works to distance himself from fracking ban, has said he’d ‘love to’ ban it

August 31, 2020

Though Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden promised Monday that he would not ban fracking, his running mate Kamala Harris emphatically supported banning fracking during her failed presidential campaign.

"There is no question I'm in favor of banning fracking," Harris said on Sept. 4. "We have to acknowledge that the residual impact of fracking is enormous in terms of the impact on the health and safety of communities."

Biden has also repeatedly promised to "get rid of fossil fuels" and even said he would "love to" get rid of fracking entirely.

Biden said he did not favor an outright fracking ban during the Democratic primary, instead pledging there would be "no new fracking" on federal lands. But he said "yes" to a woman in January when she suggested stopping fracking and he told a climate change activist in December he would "love to" ban the practice, although doing it immediately was unrealistic.

"I'd love to [ban it] too," Biden said. "I'd love to make sure we don't use oil or gas, period."

In a debate on March 15, he said there would be "no ability for the oil industry to continue to drill, period." His campaign website does not mention fracking but states he would ban "new oil and gas permitting on public lands and waters." He also answered "yes" at debate on Dec. 19 when asked if he would be willing to displace thousands of workers employed by the fracking energy boom for a greener economy.

At a debate on July 31, 2019, CNN moderator Dana Bash asked Biden, "would there be any place for fossil fuels including coal and fracking in a Biden administration?"

"No," he said. "We would work it out. We would make sure it's eliminated, and no more subsidies for either one of those. Any fossil fuel."

Sens. Bernie Sanders (I., Vt.), Elizabeth Warren (D., Mass.), and Cory Booker (D., N.J.) are among the 2020 Democratic hopefuls who support a complete ban on fracking and have endorsed Biden's candidacy.